JP2014032325A - Liquid crystal panel manufacturing device and liquid crystal panel manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid crystal panel manufacturing device and a liquid crystal manufacturing method that can make a temperature in a panel surface upon irradiation uniform.SOLUTION: A liquid crystal panel manufacturing device according to an embodiment comprises: a water cooling stage 2 that includes a mounting surface 21 and can cool a processed panel W to be mounted on the mounting surface 21 by distributing cooling water CW1 internally; an air cooling box 3 that is provided with an introduction port 3111 and an exhaust port 3112, arranged on the water cooling stage 2 so as to store the processed panel W inside, introduces cooling air CW2 from the introduction port 3111 and can exhaust the cooling air CW2 from the exhaust port 3112; a window material 4 that is provided in the air cooling box 3 so as to face the mounting surface 21; and a light irradiation part 5 that is arranged to be capable of irradiating the processed panel W arranged in the air cooling box 3 with light via the window material 4.

Description

  Embodiments described herein relate generally to a liquid crystal panel manufacturing apparatus and a liquid crystal panel manufacturing method.

  In the manufacture of liquid crystal panels, the polymer panel is irradiated with light of a predetermined wavelength using a light source such as an ultraviolet lamp to the panel to be treated, which has a photoreactive polymer, thereby causing the polymer to react chemically. There is a method of performing a process called photo-alignment to give the light.

  It is desired that the temperature of the liquid crystal panel at the time of ultraviolet irradiation is uniform on the panel surface. In particular, in a state where the blue layer of the liquid crystal is stabilized with a polymer, that is, a configuration using a polymer-stabilized blue phase, the temperature unevenness on the panel surface during light irradiation and the change over time of the temperature have an effect on the uneven display characteristics. Since it is large, it is strongly desired to make the temperature uniform.

JP 2008-116675 A JP 2009-251338 A

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a liquid crystal panel manufacturing apparatus and a liquid crystal panel manufacturing method capable of equalizing the temperature on the panel surface during light irradiation.

  In order to achieve the above object, an apparatus for manufacturing a liquid crystal panel according to an embodiment includes a placement surface, and cools the panel to be treated placed on the placement surface by circulating cooling water therein. A water-cooling stage, an introduction port and a discharge port, which are arranged on the water-cooling stage so as to accommodate the panel to be treated therein, introduce cooling air from the introduction port, and from the discharge port An air-cooled box that can be discharged, a window material provided in the air-cooled box so as to face the mounting surface, and a panel to be processed disposed in the air-cooled box, with the window material interposed therebetween. And a light irradiator disposed so as to be able to irradiate light.

  In order to achieve the above object, a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal panel according to an embodiment includes a water-cooling stage including a mounting surface on which the panel to be processed can be mounted, an introduction port, and a discharge port. An air-cooling box disposed on the water-cooling stage so as to cover the panel, a window member provided on the air-cooling box so as to face the mounting surface, and the panel to be processed disposed in the air-cooling box And a light irradiating part arranged so as to be able to irradiate light through the window material, circulating cooling water through the water cooling stage, introducing cooling air from the inlet, and discharging the exhaust air. The light is emitted to the panel to be processed arranged on the placement surface while being discharged from the outlet.

It is a figure for demonstrating the manufacturing apparatus of the liquid crystal panel of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the air cooling box of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the light irradiation part of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the wavelength-transmittance characteristic of each filter of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the wavelength-luminance characteristic of the light which generate | occur | produces with the ultraviolet lamp of 1st Embodiment. In 1st Embodiment, it is a figure for demonstrating the wavelength-luminance characteristic of the light irradiated to a to-be-processed panel. It is a figure for demonstrating the panel temperature at the time of light irradiation in the manufacturing apparatus of the liquid crystal panel of the comparative example 1. FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the panel temperature at the time of the light irradiation in the manufacturing apparatus of the liquid crystal panel of the comparative example 2. FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the panel temperature at the time of the light irradiation in the manufacturing apparatus of the liquid crystal panel of an Example. It is a figure for demonstrating the measurement conditions of the panel temperature at the time of light irradiation. It is a figure for demonstrating the other example of a filter.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the invention will be described.

(First embodiment)
A liquid crystal panel manufacturing apparatus according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a liquid crystal panel manufacturing apparatus according to the first embodiment.

  The liquid crystal panel manufacturing apparatus of FIG. 1 is an apparatus used for optical alignment of a liquid crystal panel, and includes a case 1 and a water cooling stage 2 as main parts. The case 1 is made of stainless steel, for example, and includes a main case 11 and a sub case 12. The main case 11 includes an upper wall and an inclined side wall, and functions as a reflector that reflects light generated inside. The sub case 12 has an inclined side wall, and functions as a reflector similarly to the main case 11. A shutter 13 is disposed between the main case 11 and the sub case 12. The shutter 13 can be opened and closed as necessary, and can irradiate light to the panel W to be irradiated and block light.

  Here, the panel W to be processed is, for example, a panel including a color filter substrate, a counter substrate, and a liquid crystal layer. The color filter substrate is a substrate provided with a color filter. The counter substrate is a substrate facing the color filter substrate. A TFT substrate in which a plurality of thin film transistors (TFTs) are provided on the counter substrate and pixel electrodes are connected to the plurality of thin film transistors can be used. Note that the color filter can be provided on the counter substrate side. The liquid crystal layer is a layer provided between the color filter substrate and the counter substrate. The liquid crystal layer includes a liquid crystal composition and a polymer material. The liquid crystal composition includes, for example, a nematic liquid crystal and a chiral agent. The polymer material includes, for example, an ultraviolet curable monomer such as an acrylic monomer. The polymer material may further contain a photopolymerization initiator. Note that the liquid crystal composition and the polymer material are not limited to these, and arbitrary materials can be used, and another material can be further added or the color filter can be deleted.

  The water cooling stage 2 is a table made of, for example, aluminum, and includes a mounting surface 21 on which the panel W to be processed is disposed and a cooling water channel 22 for flowing the cooling water CW1 therein. When the cooling water CW1 is allowed to flow through the cooling water channel 21, the stage 2, particularly, an object that contacts the mounting surface 21, can be cooled with water, so that this stage has both a mounting and cooling function.

  An air cooling box 3 is disposed on the mounting surface 21 of the water cooling stage 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the air-cooled box 3 includes a casing 31, an introduction pipe 32, and a discharge pipe 33. The casing 31 is a box made of, for example, aluminum having a rectangular shape without a bottom, and includes a side wall portion 311 having an inlet 3111 and an outlet 3112, and a frame portion 312 having an opening 3121 on the main surface. Has been. A space 313 is formed in the interior. The height of the space 313 is, for example, 50 mm, and the length and width are, for example, 360 mm × 360 mm, but may be set to be slightly larger than the size of the panel W to be processed. The introduction pipe 32 is a cylinder made of, for example, aluminum, and is provided on one surface of the side wall portion 311. The discharge pipe 33 is a cylinder similar to the introduction pipe 32, and is provided on the other surface of the side wall portion 311 facing the surface where the introduction pipe 32 is provided. As a result, the cooling air CW2 can be efficiently introduced into the space 313 from the introduction pipe 32 and discharged from the discharge pipe 33. In the present embodiment, four introduction pipes 32 are provided at equal intervals, and four discharge pipes 33 are provided at equal intervals, and the central axis of the cylinder of the introduction pipe 32 is the same as the introduction pipe 32. The centers are provided so as to substantially coincide.

The window material 4 is disposed in the opening 3121 so as to face the placement surface 21 so as to be sandwiched between the side wall 311 and the frame 312. The window material 4 is a glass window for transmitting desired light into the air-cooled box 3. If desired, the window material 4 can be provided with a filter function of ultraviolet cut and / or infrared cut. For example, in the present embodiment, the window material 4 is made of glass in which quartz glass is mixed with an ultraviolet cut material such as TiO ₂ and an infrared cut material such as P ₂ O ₅ . Thereby, as shown in FIG. 4, it is possible to give the characteristics of a band pass filter that cuts 300 nm or less and 550 nm or more and transmits 300 nm to 550 nm, particularly 330 nm to 450 nm.

  Inside the case 1, the long axis is an axis connecting the introduction pipe 32 and the discharge pipe 33 of the air cooling box 3, in other words, the flow direction of the cooling air CW 2 in the space 313 so as to face the window member 4. The light irradiation part 5 is arrange | positioned so that it may orthogonally cross. As shown in FIG. 3, the light irradiation unit 5 includes a water cooling jacket 51 and an ultraviolet lamp 52. The water-cooling jacket 51 is a double tube composed of an inner tube 511 and an outer tube 512, and an opening at both ends thereof is sealed with a pair of lid portions 513 made of metal, so that a space 514 is formed inside. Yes. The space 514 is connected to the outside by an introduction portion 5131 and a discharge portion 5132 included in the pair of lid portions 513.

  The ultraviolet lamp 52 includes a glass tube 521 made of quartz glass. The glass tube 521 is composed of a light emitting part having a discharge space inside and a pair of seal parts formed at both ends thereof. The discharge space is filled with a discharge medium such as a rare gas, mercury, or metal halide for maintaining arc discharge in the discharge space. The discharge medium is, for example, argon, mercury and / or mercury iodide, iron and / or iron iodide, tin and / or tin iodide. However, the type of the discharge medium is not limited to this, and thallium and / or thallium iodide may be added or added instead of iron. A metal foil 522 made of molybdenum, an electrode 523 mainly composed of tungsten, and an external lead wire 524 are sealed in the seal portion.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the ultraviolet lamp 52 is a lamp that has a light emission peak at 350 nm to 400 nm, particularly around 365 nm, and emits light in a wavelength region of 300 nm to 400 nm. Specific specifications of this lamp are: argon 1.3 kPa, mercury 0.9 mg / cc, mercury iodide 0.08 mg / cc, iron 0.01 mg / cc, tin 0.005 mg / cc. This is a metal halide lamp. Further, about 0.012 mg / cc of thallium iodide may be added. This lamp is lit at a lamp voltage = 650 V, a lamp current = 9.3 A, and a potential gradient = 13 V / cm. The illuminance at 365 nm is 5 mW / cm ² in an oak intensity meter (UV-35). Note that the light actually irradiated to the panel W to be processed is light having a wavelength of 320 nm to 400 nm, particularly around 350 nm to 380 nm, as shown in FIG. Becomes relatively strong light.

The ultraviolet lamp 52 having such a configuration is arranged with a slight clearance inside the inner tube 511 of the water cooling jacket 51 by providing a pair of support members 53 made of heat-resistant resin or the like at both ends thereof. A cylindrical heat ray absorption filter 54 is disposed between the inner tube 511 and the outer tube 512 of the water cooling jacket 51. That is, since the ultraviolet lamp 52 is substantially covered with the heat ray absorbing filter 54, most of the heat rays generated by the lamp are absorbed by the filter and are not taken out to the outside. During lighting, the cooling water CW3 is introduced into the water cooling jacket 51 from the introduction part 5131 and is discharged from the discharge part 5132. Therefore, the filter that has absorbed the heat is cooled with the cooling water CW3. In the present embodiment, the heat ray absorption filter 54 is made of a material such as P ₂ O ₅ , and as shown in FIG. 4, 260 nm or less and 400 nm or more are cut, and 260 nm to 400 nm, particularly 290 nm to 380 nm are transmitted. It is a filter of the characteristic to be made.

  The light irradiation method to the to-be-processed panel W in the liquid crystal panel manufacturing apparatus of this embodiment is demonstrated.

  First, the panel W to be processed is placed on the water cooling stage 2. At that time, the panel W to be processed is preferably arranged on the water cooling stage 2 so that the color filter side CF is in contact with the placement surface 21. And the air cooling box 3 is arrange | positioned on the water cooling stage 2 so that the to-be-processed panel W may be accommodated in an inside.

  Next, while the cooling water CW1 is circulated in the cooling water passage 22 of the water cooling stage 2, the cooling air CW2 is circulated in the space 313 of the air cooling box 3, and the cooling water CW3 is circulated in the space 514 of the water cooling jacket 51, the light irradiation unit 5 Light is irradiated to the counter electrode side FE of W. At this time, the panel W is controlled by a control unit (not shown) that controls the cooling water CW1 and / or the cooling air CW2 to control the flow rate thereof, so that the panel temperature is set to a preset temperature, for example, It is desirable to adjust so that it may become 30 degreeC.

  As described above, one side of the panel W to be processed, such as the color filter side CF, is water-cooled and cooled by the water-cooling stage 2 in which the cooling water CW1 circulates, and the other side, for example, the counter substrate side The surface of the FE is irradiated with light while being air-cooled and cooled by the air-cooling box 3 in which the cooling air CW2 flows. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the temperature change with time of the panel W to be processed during light irradiation and to reduce the temperature difference due to the portion of the panel W to be processed without immersing the panel W to be treated in the conventional manner. it can. That is, it is possible to irradiate light that is effective for photopolymerization and has little damage while easily maintaining the temperature of the panel W to be processed at a suitable temperature.

  The merit that the panel W to be treated during light irradiation can be controlled to a predetermined temperature is particularly great when a liquid crystal panel having a polymer-stabilized blue layer is manufactured. This is because when the polymer-stabilized blue layer is formed on the panel to be processed, high accuracy is required for the panel temperature when light is irradiated. The accuracy is said to be ± 0.5 ° C. with respect to the set temperature. In the method of the present embodiment, since the temperature at which the blue layer appears in the liquid crystal layer is set as the set temperature, desired light can be irradiated on the entire liquid crystal layer and in the state where the blue layer has appeared for a long time. Liquid crystal panel can be obtained.

  In the case where the panel W is irradiated with the light as described above, a test was performed on the temperature change of the panel W when the cooling condition of the panel W was changed. The results are shown in FIGS. 7 shows no cooling (Comparative Example 1), FIG. 8 shows only water cooling (Comparative Example 2), and FIG. 9 shows water cooling and air cooling (Example). In Comparative Example 2 and Example, the panel temperature Is controlled to be 30 ° C., which is the set temperature. The locations where the temperature was measured were 8 locations (P1 to P8) on the panel W to be processed, and each location is as shown in FIG. Note that the temperature of the cooling water CW1 for water cooling in Comparative Example 2 and the example is 30 ° C., which is the same as the set temperature, and the temperature of the cooling water CW2 for air cooling in the example in FIG. The air volume was 20 L / min.

  As can be seen from the figure, in Comparative Example 1, the temperature is initially as low as about 26 ° C., and then the temperature rises as the lighting time elapses and approaches the set temperature of 30 ° C. However, the panel temperature is completely equal to the set temperature. It is not maintained. In addition, there may be a temperature difference of 1 ° C. or more depending on the measurement location, resulting in large temperature variations depending on the location. Although the comparative example 2 is improved as compared with the comparative example 1, the panel temperature changes by about ± 1 ° C with respect to the set temperature as time passes, and the temperature difference is about 1 ° C depending on the measurement location. It has occurred and the set temperature cannot be satisfied.

  On the other hand, in the example, the panel temperature is within the range of the set temperature ± 0.5 ° C. even after time has passed, and the temperature difference due to the measurement location is very small. It is obvious that the panel W to be processed can be easily controlled to a predetermined temperature during the light irradiation. According to FIG. 9, since the panel temperature at the time of light irradiation is about the set temperature ± 0.5 ° C., a high-quality polymer-stabilized blue layer can be formed on the panel W to be processed. In addition, in order to maintain the temperature of the to-be-processed panel W at the time of light irradiation at a suitable temperature, it is desirable to supply cooling air CW2 of 5 L / min or more into the air cooling box 3. In addition, if the cooling air CW2 is directly blown on the panel to be processed W in a large amount, the temperature of the panel to be processed W may be too low with respect to the set temperature. Therefore, the cooling air CW2 may be supplied so as to smear the surface of the panel W to be discharged in order to discharge the hot air in the air cooling box 3.

  In this embodiment, the cooling water CW 1 is circulated in the water cooling stage 2, and the cooling air CW 2 is introduced into the air cooling box 3 from the introduction port 3111 and discharged from the discharge port 3112 while being disposed on the mounting surface 21. By irradiating the panel to be processed W with light, it is possible to reduce the temporal change in the temperature of the panel to be processed W during the light irradiation and the variation in temperature at the location of the panel to be processed. Therefore, the temperature of the panel to be processed W during light irradiation can be maintained substantially at the set temperature, and a high-quality liquid crystal panel can be manufactured. Further, by controlling the cooling water CW1 and / or the cooling air CW2, the temperature of the panel W to be treated at the time of light irradiation can be set within ± 0.5 ° C. with respect to the set temperature. A liquid crystal panel provided with a molecule-stabilized blue layer can also be produced.

  Further, since the window material 4 has a function of cutting ultraviolet rays and / or infrared rays, it is not necessary to separately provide a filter or the like between the light irradiation unit 5 and the window material 4, and the number of parts can be reduced. Note that the window material 4 having an ultraviolet cut and / or an infrared cut may have heat by cutting light of a predetermined wavelength, but the window material 4 is in contact with the cooling air CW2, and thus suppresses a temperature rise. Can do.

  Further, the panel W to be processed is disposed on the water cooling stage 2 so that the color filter side CF is in contact with the mounting surface 21, and light is irradiated from the light irradiation unit 5 to the counter substrate side FE. This makes it easier to control the panel temperature at the set temperature.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications are possible.
For example, the number of inlets 3111 and outlets 3112 of the air cooling box 3 can be adjusted by the set temperature of the panel W to be treated at the time of light irradiation, the flow rate of the cooling air CW2, and the like. The sizes of the holes of the inlet 3111 and the outlet 3112 are the same.

The ultraviolet lamp 51 used as the light source of the light irradiation unit 5 may be a fluorescent lamp or a short arc mercury lamp. When a fluorescent lamp is used, for example, a phosphor capable of converting 254 nm of mercury into ultraviolet light having a peak at around 310 nm, such as LaPO ₄ : Ce (cerium activated lanthanum phosphate) on the inner wall of a glass tube having an outer diameter of 15.5 mm. A coated lamp can be used. Further, a light emitting diode (LED), a laser diode (LD), or the like may be used as the light source of the light irradiation unit 5.

  As a means for ultraviolet ray cut or infrared ray cut, a separate filter or the like may be provided between the window material 4 and the light irradiation unit 5. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, a filter having an ultraviolet ray cut characteristic and / or a heat ray absorption filter may be provided, and the window material 4 may be made of ordinary quartz glass.

  Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Case 2 Water cooling stage 21 Mounting surface 3 Air cooling box 4 Window material 5 Light irradiation part 51 Ultraviolet lamp CW1 Cooling water CW2 Cooling air

Claims (7)

A water-cooling stage comprising a mounting surface and capable of cooling the panel to be processed placed on the mounting surface by circulating cooling water therein;
An air cooling box that includes an inlet and an outlet and is disposed on the water-cooling stage so as to accommodate the panel to be processed therein, and is capable of introducing cooling air from the inlet and discharging it from the outlet. When,
A window member provided in the air cooling box so as to face the placement surface;
A light irradiating unit arranged to irradiate light to the panel to be processed arranged in the air-cooled box through the window material;
An apparatus for manufacturing a liquid crystal panel.   The said window material is a manufacturing apparatus of the liquid crystal panel of Claim 1 provided with the function of an ultraviolet cut and / or an infrared cut.   The panel to be processed includes a color filter substrate having a color filter, a counter substrate facing the color filter substrate, and a liquid crystal layer provided between the color filter substrate and the counter substrate, The panel to be processed is disposed on the water cooling stage so that the color filter side is in contact with the mounting surface, and the light irradiation unit irradiates the panel to be processed with the light from the counter substrate side. Or the manufacturing apparatus of the liquid crystal panel of Claim 2.   The liquid crystal panel manufacturing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the liquid crystal layer includes at least a liquid crystal composition, a polymer material, and a photopolymerization initiator, and forms a polymer-stabilized blue layer by the light irradiation. The said light irradiation part is a metal halide lamp containing mercury, iron, and tin, and the illumination intensity of 365 nm is 15 mW / cm < ² > or less, The manufacturing apparatus of the liquid crystal panel as described in any one of Claims 1-4.   The cooling water and / or the cooling air is controlled so that a temperature in the panel to be processed when the light is irradiated to the panel to be processed is within ± 0.5 ° C. with respect to a set temperature. Item 6. The method for producing a liquid crystal panel according to any one of Items 1 to 5. A water cooling stage having a mounting surface on which the panel to be processed can be mounted;
An air-cooling box that is provided on the water-cooling stage so as to cover the panel to be treated;
A window member provided in the air cooling box so as to face the placement surface;
A light irradiating unit arranged to be able to irradiate light through the window material on the panel to be processed arranged in the air cooling box;
While circulating the cooling water in the water cooling stage, the cooling air is introduced into the air cooling box from the introduction port and discharged from the discharge port, and the light is applied to the panel to be processed disposed on the mounting surface. Of manufacturing a liquid crystal panel.

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