JP2020134707A - Apparatus and method for manufacturing liquid crystal device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an apparatus for manufacturing a liquid crystal device, by which a plurality of drive substrates and a plurality of counter substrates can be bonded to be parallel to each other so as to fabricate a plurality of liquid crystal devices at a time.SOLUTION: An apparatus 1 for manufacturing a liquid crystal device includes a chamber 10, a stage 20, a plate holding unit 30, a drive unit 21 and a control unit 4. The stage 20 is housed in the chamber 10 and holds a plurality of first substrates 110. The plate holding unit 30 is housed in the chamber 10 and holds a plurality of second substrates 103. The drive unit 21 drives the stage 20 or the plate holding unit 30. While a light-transmitting third substrate 50 is held on the plurality of second substrates 103, or the third substrate 50 with a light-shielding mask 40 or a dimming mask is held on the plurality of the second substrates 103, the control unit 4 controls the drive unit 21 so as to bond the plurality of first substrates 110 and the plurality of second substrates 103 to fabricate a plurality of liquid crystal devices.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

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

Liquid crystal devices are used in display devices, optical switching devices, and the like. The liquid crystal device generates image light by light-modulating the irradiated illumination light for each pixel, or adjusts the refractive index of the liquid crystal to change the wave surface of the signal light. Patent Document 1 describes an example of a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal device.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-91931

There is a batch bonding method in which a semiconductor substrate and a glass substrate are bonded to each other to produce a structure, and the structure is divided into liquid crystal device units to simultaneously produce a plurality of liquid crystal devices. In the batch bonding method, if a defective region exists on the semiconductor substrate, the liquid crystal device corresponding to the defective region becomes a defective product. That is, in the batch bonding method, if the semiconductor substrate has a defective region, a defective liquid crystal device is also manufactured.

Efficiently manufacture a non-defective liquid crystal device by dividing a semiconductor substrate to select a non-defective drive substrate, dividing a glass substrate to produce an opposed substrate, and laminating the non-defective drive substrate and the opposed substrate. Can be done.

However, since the drive board and the opposing substrate, which are separated for each liquid crystal device, are bonded to each other, it is not possible to efficiently bond the drive board and the opposing board so as to be parallel to each other as compared with the batch bonding method. Have difficulty. Therefore, the in-plane variation of the cell gap corresponding to the gap between the drive substrate and the facing substrate becomes large, which causes deterioration of the performance of the liquid crystal device.

An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid crystal device manufacturing apparatus and a manufacturing method capable of simultaneously manufacturing a plurality of liquid crystal devices by bonding a plurality of drive substrates and a plurality of opposed substrates in parallel.

The present invention comprises a chamber, a stage housed in the chamber and holding a plurality of first substrates, a plate holder housed in the chamber and holding a plurality of second substrates, and the stage or A state in which a drive unit for driving the plate holding unit and a control unit for controlling the drive unit are provided, and a light-transmitting third substrate is held on the plurality of the second substrates, or In a state where the third substrate and the light-shielding mask or the dimming mask are held on the plurality of the second substrates, the control unit controls the drive unit to control the first drive unit. Provided is a liquid crystal device manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a plurality of liquid crystal devices by laminating a substrate and a plurality of the second substrates.

In the present invention, a third substrate having light transmission is held on a plurality of second substrates, or the third substrate and a light-shielding mask or dimming are performed on the plurality of the second substrates. Provided is a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal device, in which a plurality of first substrates and a plurality of the second substrates are bonded together to produce a plurality of liquid crystal devices while the mask is held.

According to the liquid crystal device manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method of the present invention, a plurality of liquid crystal devices can be manufactured at the same time by laminating a plurality of drive substrates and a plurality of opposing substrates in parallel.

It is a block diagram which shows an example of the manufacturing apparatus of the liquid crystal device of one Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the state which the stage moved to a predetermined position. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the state which the stage moved to a predetermined position. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the manufacturing apparatus of the liquid crystal device of one Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the manufacturing method of the liquid crystal device of one Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the time-dependent change of the brightness of an image. It is a figure which shows an example of the time-dependent change of the brightness of an image.

A configuration example of the manufacturing apparatus for the liquid crystal device of one embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Hereinafter, the manufacturing apparatus for the liquid crystal device will be simply referred to as the manufacturing apparatus. The manufacturing apparatus 1 includes a light source 2, a substrate bonding unit 3, and a control unit 4. The control unit 4 controls the light source 2 and the substrate bonding unit 3 based on a set program or instruction information from the operator. A computer device or a CPU (Central Processing Unit) may be used as the control unit 4.

The substrate bonding unit 3 has a chamber 10, a decompression drive unit 11, a stage 20, a stage drive unit 21, and a plate holding unit 30. The chamber 10 has a chamber body 12 and a lid 13. The stage 20 and the plate holding portion 30 are housed in the chamber 10. A vacuum pump may be used as the decompression drive unit 11. The lid 13 has light transmission. Specifically, the lid 13 transmits ultraviolet rays. A quartz glass plate may be used as the lid 13.

The control unit 4 can open and close the lid 13 by controlling the substrate bonding unit 3. The control unit 4 can seal the inside of the chamber 10 by bringing the lid 13 into close contact with the chamber body 12. The operator may open and close the lid 13. In a state where the inside of the chamber 10 is sealed, the control unit 4 can reduce the pressure inside the chamber 10 by driving the decompression drive unit 11.

The stage 20 has a plurality of recesses 22 for positioning and holding the plurality of drive boards 110 (first board). The drive board 110 constitutes a liquid crystal device. The stage 20 positions the plurality of drive boards 110 by the plurality of recesses 22 and holds them in a detachable manner. The stage 20 may have a heating portion 23 arranged at or near the bottom surface of the recess 22. While the drive board 110 is held in the recess 22, the control unit 4 can heat the drive board 110 within a predetermined temperature range by driving the heating unit 23.

Only the drive board 110 determined to be a non-defective product by inspection is held in the stage 20. The drive board 110 has a pixel region 111 in which a plurality of pixels are formed. A semiconductor substrate may be used as the drive substrate 110. The drive substrate 110 is held on the stage 20 in a state where a predetermined amount of liquid crystal 101 is dropped on the central portion of the pixel region 111 and the sealing material 102 is applied along the outer peripheral portion of the pixel region 111. An ultraviolet curable resin may be used as the sealing material 102.

The plate holding portion 30 is fixed to the chamber body 12. The plate holding portion 30 holds the substrate holding plate 31 so as to be parallel to the stage 20. The substrate holding plate 31 has a plurality of openings 32 at positions facing the plurality of recesses 22 of the stage 20. The opening 32 has a size capable of inserting the drive board 110.

The substrate holding plate 31 is formed along the inner circumference of the opening 32, and has a plurality of step portions 33 for positioning and holding the plurality of opposed substrates 103 (second substrates). The facing substrate 103 constitutes a liquid crystal device. The substrate holding plate 31 positions a plurality of opposed substrates 103 by a plurality of step portions 33 and holds them in a detachable manner. That is, the plate holding portion 30 holds a plurality of opposed substrates 103 via the substrate holding plate 31. The facing substrate 103 has light transmission. A glass substrate may be used as the facing substrate 103.

In a state where the plurality of drive boards 110 are held on the stage 20 and the board holding plates 31 on which the plurality of facing boards 103 are held are held by the plate holding portion 30, the plurality of driving boards 110 and the plurality of facing boards 103 Are positioned parallel to each other and facing each other. In a state where the substrate holding plate 31 is held by the plate holding portion 30, the control unit 4 can move the stage 20 closer to or further from the substrate holding plate 31 by controlling the stage driving unit 21. ..

In a state where the plurality of drive boards 110 are held by the stage 20 and the board holding plates 31 holding the plurality of opposed boards 103 are held by the plate holding portion 30, the light-shielding mask 40 corresponds to the pixel area 111. It is positioned and held on the facing substrate 103. That is, the light-shielding mask 40 is held on the opposing board 103 so as to block the pixel regions 111 of the plurality of drive boards 110.

The transparent substrate 50 (third substrate) is held on the light-shielding mask 40. That is, the transparent substrate 50 is held on the plurality of opposed substrates 103 via the light-shielding mask 40. The manufacturing apparatus 1 may include a transport mechanism for moving or retracting the light-shielding mask 40 onto the opposite substrate 103, or moving or retracting the transparent substrate 50 onto the light-shielding mask 40, and the operator may provide the above-mentioned Transport may be performed.

As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of transparent substrates 50 having different thicknesses t50 or weights may be prepared, and the transparent substrate 50 selected from the plurality of transparent substrates 50 may be held on the light-shielding mask 40. The manufacturing apparatus 1 selects a target transparent substrate 50 from a plurality of transparent substrates 50 based on a set program or instruction information from an operator. The manufacturing apparatus 1 may include a transfer mechanism for moving or retracting the selected transparent substrate 50 onto the light-shielding mask 40, and the operator may perform the above transfer.

As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of transparent substrates 50 may be prepared, and a number of transparent substrates 50 selected from the plurality of transparent substrates 50 may be held on the light-shielding mask 40. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the three transparent substrates 50 are held on the light shielding mask 40. Based on the set program or instruction information from the operator, the manufacturing apparatus 1 selects a set number of transparent substrates 50 from the plurality of transparent substrates 50. The manufacturing apparatus 1 may include a transfer mechanism for moving or retracting a selected number of transparent substrates 50 so as to be stacked on the light-shielding mask 40, and the operator may perform the above transfer.

A transparent substrate 50 on which the light-shielding mask 40 is formed may be used. In this case, the transparent substrate 50 is held on the facing substrate 103 in a state where the light-shielding mask 40 is positioned corresponding to the pixel region 111. The manufacturing apparatus 1 may include a transport mechanism for moving or retracting the transparent substrate 50 on which the light-shielding mask 40 is formed onto the opposed substrate 103, and the operator may perform the above transport.

A transparent substrate 50 on which the light-shielding mask 40 is formed and a transparent substrate 50 on which the light-shielding mask 40 is not formed may be used. In this case, the transparent substrate 50 having the light-shielding mask 40 is held on the facing substrate 103 in a state where the light-shielding mask 40 is positioned corresponding to the pixel region 111. The manufacturing apparatus 1 may include a transport mechanism for moving or retracting the transparent substrate 50 on which the light-shielding mask 40 is formed and the transparent substrate 50 on which the light-shielding mask 40 is not formed on the facing substrate 103. The operator may perform the above transfer.

As shown in FIG. 4, a substrate holding plate 120 having a plurality of recesses 122 for positioning and holding the drive substrate 110 may be used. In this case, the substrate holding plate 120 in which the drive substrate 110 is positioned and held by the recess 122 is positioned and held on the stage 20. That is, the stage 20 holds the drive board 110 via the board holding plate 120.

An example of a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal device according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, the plurality of drive boards 110 are held in the plurality of recesses 22 of the stage 20. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 4, a substrate holding plate 120 in which a plurality of drive boards 110 are held in a plurality of recesses 122 is positioned and held on the stage 20.

As shown in FIG. 1 or 4, the plurality of opposed substrates 103 are held by a plurality of step portions 33 of the substrate holding plate 31. The substrate holding plate 31 is held by the plate holding portion 30. Light-shielding masks 40 are held on the plurality of opposed substrates 103. A set thickness, a set weight, or a set number of transparent substrates 50 are held on the light-shielding mask 40. The transparent substrate 50 and the plurality of opposing substrates 103 are in surface contact with each other via the light-shielding mask 40.

In a state where the inside of the chamber 10 is sealed, the control unit 4 decompresses the inside of the chamber 10 by controlling the decompression drive unit 11 in step S1. In a state where the pressure inside the chamber 10 is reduced, the control unit 4 moves the stage 20 from the initial position to a predetermined position by controlling the stage drive unit 21 in step S2 (upper in FIG. 1 or FIG. 4). (Move in the direction) to bring the plurality of drive substrates 110 and the plurality of opposing substrates 103 into contact with each other via the sealing material 102 and the liquid crystal 101.

The control unit 4 may heat the drive substrate 110 within a predetermined temperature range by controlling the heating unit 23. By heating the drive substrate 110, the viscosity of the liquid crystal 101 is lowered and the liquid crystal 101 is flattened, so that the sealing material 102 can be brought into contact with the opposing substrate 103 before the liquid crystal 101.

FIG. 2 or FIG. 3 shows a state in which the drive substrate 110 and the facing substrate 103 are in contact with each other via the sealing material 102 and the liquid crystal 101. The facing substrate 103 is pushed up by the stage 20 and is separated from the substrate holding plate 31. As a result, the gravity of the light-shielding mask 40 and the transparent substrate 50 is applied to the facing substrate 103. Since the gravity of the transparent substrate 50 is larger than the gravity of the light-shielding mask 40, the weight on the opposing substrate 103 can be changed according to the thickness, weight, or number of the transparent substrate 50. By adjusting the load on the opposing substrate 103, the distance (cell gap) between the drive substrate 110 and the opposing substrate 103 can be adjusted.

When the transparent substrate 50 is not used because the gravity of the transparent substrate 50 (light-shielding mask 40) is applied to the plurality of opposed substrates 103 in a state where the transparent substrate 50 and the plurality of opposing substrates 103 are in surface contact with each other via the light-shielding mask 40. The in-plane distribution of the cell gap can be improved as compared with. Further, the in-plane distribution of the cell gap can be improved by adjusting the load on the facing substrate 103.

In step S3, the control unit 4 controls the decompression drive unit 11 to bring the inside of the chamber 10 into an atmospheric pressure state. The control unit 4 may stop the decompression drive unit 11 and the operator may bring the inside of the chamber 10 into an atmospheric pressure state.

The control unit 4 controls the light source 2 in step S4 in a state where the inside of the chamber 10 is at atmospheric pressure and the gravity of the transparent substrate 50 (light-shielding mask 40) is applied to the opposing substrate 103. Light having a predetermined wavelength band (for example, ultraviolet UV) is emitted from the light source 2 toward the substrate bonding portion 3 (specifically, the lid 13). The ultraviolet UV rays pass through the lid 13, the transparent substrate 50, and the opposing substrate 103 and irradiate the sealing material 102. Since the pixel region 111 of the drive substrate 110 is shielded by the light-shielding mask 40, the ultraviolet UV is not irradiated to the pixel region 111.

Since the sealing material 102 is cured by ultraviolet rays and UV rays, the manufacturing apparatus 1 has the drive substrate 110 and the facing substrate 103 in a state where the cell gap is adjusted to the target cell gap by the transparent substrate 50 and the target in-plane distribution. Can be bonded together by the sealing material 102. The liquid crystal 101 is filled in the gap between the drive substrate 110 and the facing substrate 103, and is sealed by the sealing material 102. As a result, a plurality of liquid crystal devices are manufactured at the same time.

In step S5, the control unit 4 controls the light source 2 to stop the irradiation of ultraviolet UV rays. Further, the control unit 4 opens the lid 13 by controlling the substrate bonding unit 3. The operator may open the lid 13. After the operator takes out the transparent substrate 50, the light-shielding mask 40, and the plurality of liquid crystal devices from the chamber 10, the control unit 4 moves the stage 20 from a predetermined position to an initial position in step S6 (FIG. 1 or 4). Then move it downward). The manufacturing apparatus 1 ends the bonding process between the drive board 110 and the facing board 103. The operator may execute at least one of steps S1 to S6, or a part of the process of the step.

According to the liquid crystal device manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method of the present embodiment, the drive substrate 110 and the facing substrate 103 are bonded to each other by the sealing material 102 in the above steps S1 to S6, and the liquid crystal 101 is attached to the driving substrate 110 and the facing substrate 103. It is possible to simultaneously manufacture a plurality of liquid crystal devices which are filled in the gap between the two liquid crystals and sealed by the sealing material 102, and whose cell gap is adjusted to the target cell gap and the target in-plane distribution. Therefore, according to the liquid crystal device manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method of the present embodiment, a plurality of liquid crystal devices can be manufactured at the same time by laminating a plurality of drive substrates 110 and a plurality of facing substrates 103 in parallel.

When a liquid crystal device is used as a display device, the liquid crystal device light-modulates the irradiated illumination light for each pixel to generate image light. The display device displays an image by projecting image light onto a screen or the like. 6 and 7 show an example of the change in brightness of the image over time.

The lines indicated by the reference numerals R1 and R2 in FIGS. 6 and 7 show an example of the change over time in the brightness of the image (red image) when the liquid crystal device (red liquid crystal device) is irradiated with the red illumination light. .. The lines indicated by the reference numerals G1 and G2 show an example of the change over time in the brightness of the image (green image) when the liquid crystal device (green liquid crystal device) is irradiated with the green illumination light. The lines indicated by reference numerals B1 and B2 show an example of the time-dependent change in the brightness of the image (blue image) when the liquid crystal device (blue liquid crystal device) is irradiated with the blue illumination light.

FIG. 6 shows the brightness R1, G1 and brightness of the red image, the green image, and the blue image when the light-shielding mask 40 is used when the red liquid crystal device, the green liquid crystal device, and the blue liquid crystal device are manufactured. An example of the time course of B1 is shown. At time point t1 (for example, at the time of shipment), the red liquid crystal device, the green liquid crystal device, and the blue liquid crystal device are adjusted so that the brightness of the red image, the green image, and the blue image is the same. Generally, at the time point t2 after a predetermined time has elapsed from the time point t1, the brightness B1 of the blue image becomes darker than the brightness R1 and G1 of the red image and the green image. Therefore, at the time point t2, the white balance of the image is deteriorated as compared with the time point t1.

FIG. 7 shows a red image, a green image, and a blue image when the light-shielding mask 40 is used when the red liquid crystal device and the green liquid crystal device are manufactured, and the light-shielding mask 40 is not used when the blue liquid crystal device is manufactured. An example of the time course of the brightness R2, G2, and B2 of is shown.

When producing a blue liquid crystal device, the brightness B2 of the blue image can be stabilized over time by irradiating the liquid crystal 101 on the pixel region 111 with ultraviolet UV rays in step S4. At time point t1 (for example, at the time of shipment), the red liquid crystal device, the green liquid crystal device, and the blue liquid crystal device are adjusted so that the brightness of the red image, the green image, and the blue image is the same. Since the brightness B2 of the blue image is stable over time, it is possible to reduce the variation due to the change over time between the brightness R2 of the red image, the brightness G2 of the green image, and the brightness B2 of the blue image at the time point t2. it can. As a result, deterioration of the white balance of the image at time point t2 can be suppressed.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

As an embodiment, the case where the stage 20 is driven and the plate holding portion 30 for holding the substrate holding plate 31 is fixed to the chamber body 12 has been described, but the plate holding portion 30 for holding the substrate holding plate 31 is driven. , The stage 20 may be fixed to the chamber body 12. In this case, the manufacturing apparatus 1 includes a plate driving unit instead of the stage driving unit 21, and the control unit 4 controls the plate driving unit to bring the plate holding unit 30 closer to or separated from the stage 20. The stage drive unit 21 or the plate drive unit is simply used as the drive unit.

A light-shielding mask 40 may be used when manufacturing a red liquid crystal device and a green liquid crystal device, and a dimming mask may be used when manufacturing a blue liquid crystal device. In this case, the dimming mask is positioned corresponding to the pixel region 111 of the drive substrate 110 and is held on the facing substrate 103. The amount or intensity of ultraviolet UV rays irradiated on the liquid crystal 101 on the pixel region 111 can be set according to the transmittance of the dimming mask. By setting the transmittance of the dimming mask to an appropriate value, the brightness B2 of the blue image can be stabilized over time.

1 Manufacturing equipment 4 Control unit 10 Chamber 20 Stage 21 Stage drive unit 30 Plate holding unit 50 Transparent substrate (third substrate)
103 Opposed board (second board)
110 Drive board (first board)

Claims (6)

Chamber and
A stage housed in the chamber and holding a plurality of first substrates,
A plate holder housed in the chamber and holding a plurality of second substrates,
A drive unit that drives the stage or the plate holding unit,
A control unit that controls the drive unit and
With
A state in which a light-transmitting third substrate is held on the plurality of the second substrates, or a state in which the third substrate and a light-shielding mask or a dimming mask are formed on the plurality of the second substrates. In the held state, the control unit controls the drive unit to bond the plurality of the first substrates and the plurality of the second substrates to produce a plurality of liquid crystal devices.
Liquid crystal device manufacturing equipment. A decompression drive unit for depressurizing the inside of the chamber is further provided.
A state in which the third substrate is held on the plurality of the second substrates, or the third substrate and the light-shielding mask or the dimming mask are held on the plurality of the second substrates. In this state, the control unit controls the decompression drive unit to bring the inside of the chamber into a decompression state.
The liquid crystal device manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1. With more light sources
The third substrate is held on the plurality of the second substrates, or the third substrate and the light-shielding mask or the dimming mask are held on the plurality of the second substrates. In this state, the control unit controls the decompression drive unit to change the inside of the chamber from the decompression state to the atmospheric pressure state, and controls the light source to irradiate the plurality of the first substrates with light. ,
The liquid crystal device manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2. The chamber has a chamber body and a lid.
The lid and the second substrate are light transmissive and have light transmission.
The light source irradiates a plurality of the first substrates with the light via the lid and the second and third substrates.
The liquid crystal device manufacturing apparatus according to claim 3. A heating unit for heating the first substrate is further provided.
The liquid crystal device manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4. A state in which a light-transmitting third substrate is held on a plurality of second substrates, or a state in which the third substrate and a light-shielding mask or a dimming mask are held on the plurality of the second substrates. In this state, a plurality of first substrates and a plurality of the second substrates are bonded together to produce a plurality of liquid crystal devices.
A method for manufacturing a liquid crystal device.

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