JP4515739B2 - Manufacturing method of color filter - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for producing a color filter that can be suitably used for a color liquid crystal display.

  In recent years, with the development of personal computers, particularly portable personal computers, the demand for liquid crystal display devices, particularly color liquid crystal display devices, has been increasing. This color liquid crystal display device is usually provided with a color filter having a coloring pattern of three primary colors of red (R), green (G), and blue (B), and R, G, and By turning on and off the electrodes corresponding to the respective B pixels, the liquid crystal operates as a shutter, and light passes through the R, G, and B pixels, and color display is performed.

  Such a color filter usually has a pixel portion composed of R, G, and B on a transparent substrate, and a black matrix that divides the pixel portion, and further has a liquid crystal on the pixel portion and the black matrix. A transparent electrode or the like for driving is formed.

  During the manufacture of such a color filter, for example, foreign matter such as dust of several μm to several tens of μm is mixed in the pixel portion or the black matrix, and the foreign matter is conductive or has a high dielectric constant. In the case where it has, there is a possibility that problems such as short-circuiting of electrodes for driving the liquid crystal and deterioration of the display quality of the liquid crystal may occur. Therefore, it is desirable to prevent such foreign matters from being mixed at the time of manufacture. However, as a matter of fact, even when manufactured in an environment with few foreign matters such as a clean room, it is necessary to manufacture a color filter that is completely free of foreign matter and contained. Is impossible.

  In addition to the defects caused due to foreign matters such as dust as described above, there are defects caused due to defects in the manufacturing apparatus, masks used during patterning, etc. . In such a defect caused by a defect in a manufacturing apparatus or the like, there may be a problem that a defect having the same position, type, member, or the like occurs in a plurality of color filters.

  In such a case, it is possible to prevent the continuous generation of defects by cleaning the manufacturing apparatus, exchanging the mask, etc., but to some extent until the cause of the defect is recognized. Since time is required, a defect is caused in many color filters due to the same cause until the cause is eliminated.

  In addition, the prior literature regarding this invention has not been discovered.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and in the process of making a color filter, it is possible to quickly recognize the cause of the defect and effectively prevent the occurrence of the defect. The main object of the present invention is to provide a color filter manufacturing method capable of satisfying the requirements.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a defect detection step for detecting a defect present in a color filter, and after obtaining image data of the defect based on the defect information detected by the defect detection step. And a correction process for correcting a defect using the image data, wherein the color filter is made using the information obtained from the image data in the correction process. Provide a method.

  In the present invention, by using the information obtained from the image data obtained in the correction process, the cause causing the defect can be quickly found. Therefore, if the cause of the defect is found in the process of making the color filter, it is possible to efficiently improve the defect by improving the defect based on the information obtained from the image data. Can be prevented.

  In the present invention described above, the image data of the defect obtained in the correction step is preferably image data before the defect is corrected by the correction step and image data after the defect is corrected by the correction step. . This is because the range of information obtained from the image data is widened, so that the information can be utilized more for the process for making the color filter.

  According to the present invention, by using information obtained from image data obtained in the correction process, it is possible to quickly find the cause of causing a defect. Therefore, if the cause of the defect is found in the process of making the color filter, it is possible to efficiently improve the defect by improving the defect based on the information obtained from the image data. Can be prevented.

  Hereinafter, the manufacturing method of the color filter of this invention is demonstrated.

  The method for producing a color filter of the present invention includes a defect detection step for detecting a defect present in the color filter, and after obtaining image data of the defect based on information on the defect detected by the defect detection step. A color filter manufacturing method including a correction step of correcting a defect using image data, wherein the color filter is made using information obtained from the image data in the correction step.

  In the present invention, by using information obtained from the image data obtained in the correction process, it is possible to quickly find the cause of the defect. Therefore, if the cause of the defect is found in the process of making the color filter, it is possible to efficiently improve the defect by improving the defect based on the information obtained from the image data. Can be prevented.

  Here, the plate making of the color filter means that each member constituting the color filter is formed on the transparent substrate. For example, a case where a black matrix or a pixel portion is formed on the transparent substrate. It is shown.

  In the present invention, when making a color filter in this way, it is possible to prevent defects that may occur by using information obtained from image data in a correction process described later.

  In the present invention, the information obtained from the image data in the correction process described later is not particularly limited as long as the information can be read when the defect state is confirmed with the image data. Specifically, information such as the type of defect such as white defect or black defect, the member in which the defect has occurred, and the process in which the defect has occurred in making the color filter can be given. Further, since the image data obtained in the correction process is image data in a plurality of color filters, information that the same defect has occurred in the plurality of color filters can also be obtained.

  By using the information obtained from the image data as described above in the present invention and reflecting it in the process for making the color filter, defects can be prevented. That is, if the cause of the defect is found based on the information obtained from the image data, and the cause is in the process of making the color filter, the same problem can be obtained by improving the defect in the process. It is possible to prevent a defect that occurs many times due to the cause.

  For example, a method for improving a defect based on information obtained from image data is not particularly limited as long as the cause of the defect can be eliminated. Specific examples include cleaning of the manufacturing apparatus, replacement of parts of the manufacturing apparatus, replacement of the mask, adjustment of the viscosity of the coating liquid, and the like. Conventionally, in the improvement of such defects, many defects have been detected to some extent, and since it took some time to discover the cause of such defects, it is difficult to respond quickly. Met. However, in the present invention, by using the image data of the defect obtained in the correction process, the cause of the defect can be found quickly, thereby improving the defect. Thus, defects that may repeatedly occur can be efficiently prevented.

  In addition, the image data used when making the color filter is not particularly limited as long as it is image data obtained by a correction process described later, but among them, the image data before the defect is corrected by the correction process and the correction process It is preferable that the image data is after the defect is corrected. For example, in the correction process to be described later, in the case where a laser beam is irradiated when removing foreign matter or the like, in the case of a defect that cannot be removed by irradiating such laser beam, image data obtained after the correction process The image data in which the defect remains as it is is obtained. By applying another correction method based on such image data, such a defect can be corrected, and the width of information obtained from the image data is widened. This is because it can be utilized in the process.

  Hereafter, the manufacturing method of the color filter of this invention is divided into each process and demonstrated.

1. Defect Detection Step First, the defect detection step in the present invention will be described. In the present invention, the defect detection step is a step of detecting defects present in the color filter.

  Here, the defect means a defect in each member constituting the color filter. For example, a foreign substance present inside or on the surface of each member constituting the color filter, or a member itself that deteriorates display quality. And the like, white defects caused by the absence of the member at the place where the member should be formed, or black defects formed at the place where the member should not be formed. .

  First, a publicly known method can be used as a defect detection method for detecting defects in this step. Specifically, the defect detection method will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a defect detection method according to the present invention. First, unevenness inspection is performed. For example, when a defect is detected in this step for a color filter in which a colored layer is formed on a transparent substrate by this unevenness inspection, the presence or absence of film thickness unevenness in the colored layer is inspected. If non-uniformity is detected by this non-uniformity inspection, then the process proceeds to monitor inspection.

  Information on the result of the unevenness inspection is managed by the computer 1 for each color filter. Next, based on the result of the unevenness inspection, the color filter that needs to be inspected by the next monitor inspection and the color filter that can omit the monitor inspection as shown by the arrow 2 are allocated. For example, if no unevenness is detected and it is determined that the next monitor inspection is not required, the monitor inspection is omitted. In addition, monitor inspection may be omitted due to the fact that there are too many color filters for monitor inspection and there is not enough room for the inspection machine for monitor inspection.

  The color filter that shifts to the monitor inspection is not limited to the color filter in which the unevenness is detected by the unevenness inspection, but the color filter that is highly likely to have a defect other than the unevenness, the color filter that is selected as the regular review substrate, etc. Can be mentioned.

  Next, a monitor inspection is performed. In the monitor inspection, a sensitive inspection is performed by projecting light onto a color filter and inspecting color development of the color filter. Information about the inspection result in this monitor inspection is also managed for each color filter by the computer 3.

  After such monitor inspections, the results of the monitor inspections and unevenness inspections are used to determine whether inspections in the next visual review are necessary or not, and it is determined that inspections in the visual review are necessary The filter then moves on to visual review. Note that the color filter that shifts to the visual review is not limited to the color filter instructed to be inspected by the visual review based on the result of the unevenness inspection or the monitor inspection. The color filter selected as the review substrate, the color filter in which the monitor inspection is omitted because the inspection machine performing the monitor inspection is full, and the like are also subject to inspection by the visual review. In addition, the visual review was omitted as indicated by the arrow 4 because of the fact that there were too many color filters that were determined not to require inspection by visual review due to distribution after monitor inspection, or that there were too many color filters related to visual review. The color filter further moves to the first appearance inspection.

  Next, a visual review is performed. In the visual review, a sensitive inspection is performed by inspecting the color development or the like with such light by projecting light having a wavelength region different from that of the monitor inspection onto the color filter. Information about the inspection result in such a visual review is also managed by the computer 5.

  Further, a first appearance inspection is performed. In the first appearance inspection, a finer defect is detected than in the above-described inspection, and such a detection result is also input to the computer 6. Then, based on the above-described various inspection results, whether or not it is necessary to perform height measurement is assigned. For color filters that are determined not to require height measurement, height measurement is omitted as indicated by arrow 7.

  Next, the height of the defect is measured by the height measurement in the color filter for which the height measurement is instructed. This height measurement result is also input to the computer 8 for each color filter.

  Finally, a coordinate review is performed to inspect the coordinates of the defects detected by the various inspections described above. Similarly, the coordinates where the defect exists are input to the computer 9. Also in this coordinate review, it may be omitted from the above various inspection results. Thereafter, the results of the individual inspections are aggregated, and defect image data is obtained in a correction process described later based on the defect information obtained by such a defect detection method.

  In such a defect detection method, the degree of defect detected in each inspection is not particularly limited, but it will be described later because it does not cause a problem as a product even if it is not corrected in a correction process described later. It is preferable to detect a wide range to the extent that correction is required in the correction step. More information can be obtained from individual inspections, and finally the results of various inspections are aggregated and comprehensively judged to accurately determine defects that need to be corrected in the correction process described below. It is because it can be made high.

  Furthermore, as a device used when performing the inspection as described above, a commonly used device can be used.

  The color filter here is not particularly limited as long as it has a transparent substrate and a member such as a colored layer that is formed on the transparent substrate and has a possibility of forming a defect. Specific examples of the member in which the defect may be formed include a colored layer such as a black matrix or a pixel portion, a protective layer, and the like. Hereinafter, a transparent substrate and a colored layer will be described as members constituting the color filter in the present invention.

  In the color filter in which defects are detected by such a defect detection step, usable transparent substrates are not particularly limited as long as they are generally used as transparent substrates. For example, quartz glass, pyrex (Registered trademark), a transparent substrate made of a transparent flexible material such as a synthetic quartz plate, or a flexible flexible material such as a transparent resin film or an optical resin plate.

  In addition, the pixel portion as the colored layer in the present invention may be a single color or a plurality of colors such as red (R), green (G), and blue (B). It is formed in various patterns, for example, a mosaic shape, a triangle shape, a stripe shape, or the like. In the present invention, as a method for forming the pixel portion when making a color filter, conventional methods such as a pigment dispersion method or an ink jet printing method can be used. It is not limited.

  Further, the black matrix used in the present invention is arranged between the pixel portions forming the pixel portion and formed to block light. The method for producing the black matrix on the transparent substrate is not particularly limited. For example, a thin metal film such as chromium having a thickness of about 1000 to 2000 mm is formed by a sputtering method, a vacuum deposition method, or the like. The method of forming by patterning etc. can be mentioned.

  Further, the black matrix may be a layer containing light-shielding particles such as carbon fine particles, metal oxides, inorganic pigments, organic pigments in a resin binder, and the resin binder used is a polyimide resin, One or a mixture of two or more resins such as acrylic resin, epoxy resin, polyacrylamide, polyvinyl alcohol, gelatin, casein, and cellulose, photosensitive resin, and O / W emulsion type resin composition, for example, What emulsified reactive silicone can be used. As a method for patterning such a resinous black matrix, a generally used method such as a photolithography method or a printing method can be used.

2. Next, the correction process in the present invention will be described. The correcting step in the present invention is a step of correcting the defect using the image data after obtaining the image data of the defect based on the defect information detected by the defect detecting step.

  In this step, defect image data is obtained based on the defect information obtained by the defect detection step before the defect is corrected. In the above-described defect detection process, only fragmentary data in each inspection for the detected defect is obtained, and the data for such a defect is comprehensively determined by this process, and further, After obtaining the image data for the determined defect, it is determined whether or not it is necessary to correct by this step based on the image data. Further, by correcting the defect using the image data, it is possible to correct appropriately according to each defect.

  The image data obtained in this step is not particularly limited as long as the defect state can be easily recognized. Specifically, an enlarged image of a defect projected on a computer monitor can be exemplified. From such image data, it is possible to easily read information on the defect as described above.

  As a method of obtaining such image data, there is a method of obtaining image data by irradiating a defect with specific light, receiving reflected light or transmitted light with a CCD licensor, and performing image processing on the received result. Can be mentioned.

  Moreover, as a method for correcting defects using image data in this step, a known method can be used. For example, when it is confirmed from the image data that the defect is a foreign substance, a protrusion, a black defect, etc., after removing these defects, a predetermined coating solution is applied to the defect removal portion formed after the removal. The method of correcting can be mentioned by this. On the other hand, when it is confirmed by the image data that the defect is white or the like, there can be mentioned a method of correcting by applying a predetermined coating liquid to a portion where white is formed.

  Specifically, the defect is a foreign matter, a protrusion, a black defect, or the like, and a known method can be used as a method for removing these defects. For example, a method of irradiating with laser light, a method of directly scratching those defects, and the like can be mentioned. For example, the laser beam is not particularly limited, but a laser such as an excimer or YAG can be used. YAG is not only the second harmonic, but also the YAG fundamental wave, the YAG third harmonic, A YAG fourth harmonic or the like may be used.

  In addition, as a method of applying a predetermined coating liquid to a defect-removed portion formed after removing defects such as foreign matter or a portion where a white portion is formed, any method that enables fine application There is no particular limitation. Specifically, using a defect correcting needle, a predetermined coating liquid is attached to the tip of the defect correcting needle, and the tip of the defect correcting needle is brought into contact with a portion where a defect is removed or a white portion is formed. The method etc. which apply | coat a coating liquid can be mentioned.

  As a coating liquid used when correcting a defect, the coating liquid used when forming the member to correct can be used. For example, when correcting a black matrix, a colored layer, and a protective layer, it can be corrected by applying a coating solution used when forming these members.

3. Others Since the defect detection process and the correction process described above are performed after a member that may cause a defect is formed in the manufacturing stage of the color filter, if such a member is formed, There is no particular limitation at any time. For example, it can be performed after each member such as a black matrix, a pixel portion, or a protective layer is formed. Further, when the pixel portion is composed of a plurality of colors, it may be performed for each color.

  Further, after the correction process described above, by forming other members constituting the color filter, such as a protective layer, an alignment film, an electrode, etc., the color filter in which these are finally formed is improved in yield. Can be manufactured.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment. The above-described embodiment is an exemplification, and the present invention has any configuration that has substantially the same configuration as the technical idea described in the claims of the present invention and exhibits the same function and effect. It is included in the technical scope.

It is explanatory drawing which showed an example of the defect detection process in this invention.

Claims (2)

A defect detection step for detecting defects present in the color filter;
In the method of manufacturing a color filter, including obtaining a defect image data based on the defect information detected by the defect detection step, and then correcting the defect using the image data.
In the correction step, a method of irradiating laser light or a method of directly scraping is used,
Using the information obtained from the image data in the correction process, determine the presence or absence of the cause of defects in the process when manufacturing the color filter,
If the cause causing the defect is in a step of the manufacturing process of the color filter have a process for producing a color filter by reducing the defect on the step,
The color filter manufacturing method , wherein the defect image data used in the manufacturing process is image data before the defect is corrected by the correction process and image data after the defect is corrected by the correction process. 2. The method of manufacturing a color filter according to claim 1, wherein the information obtained from the image data in the correction step is information that a similar defect has occurred in a plurality of color filters.

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