JP5746065B2 - Method and apparatus for darkening dark spot defects in liquid crystal display devices - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for darkening a light spot defect generated in a pixel of a liquid crystal display device by irradiating light.

  In a liquid crystal panel, a defect called a bright spot defect may occur due to contamination of foreign matters in the manufacturing process. The bright spot defect is a defect that cannot be displayed as a desired color when a dark color such as black is displayed, and is visually recognized as a bright spot. Since such bright spot defects are conspicuous, when a bright spot defect occurs, the liquid crystal panel is often discarded as a defective product, which causes a decrease in yield in the manufacture of the liquid crystal panel.

  Conventionally, by irradiating a color filter of a pixel having a bright spot defect with laser light, the color filter is altered so that light from the backlight is not transmitted, and the bright spot defect is darkened to make it inconspicuous. there were. In this technique, laser light is shaped into a spot size smaller than that of a pixel by using a slit or the like. Then, the color filter is altered by scanning laser light within the pixel to darken the bright spot defect. (For example, see Patent Document 1)

JP 2006-227621 A (pages 18 to 20, FIGS. 7 to 13)

  In the bright spot defect darkening method as described above, the object to be irradiated with laser light is a color filter, but the color filter is a relatively thin film having a thickness of several μm or less. In addition to the color filter, for example, an alignment film is disposed on the optical path of the laser light, and the alignment film is also a film having a thickness of several μm or less. When the laser light irradiation and scanning are started by setting the energy of the laser light to an optimum value for blackening by changing the color filter, particularly at the point where the laser light irradiation and scanning are started in the pixel. In some cases, films such as color filters were damaged. When these films are broken, there is a problem that the broken films may be scattered in the liquid crystal to generate new bright spot defects.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and provides a dark spot darkening method and a dark spot darkening device for a bright spot defect of a liquid crystal display device capable of suppressing damage to a film such as a color filter. The purpose is to do.

The method of darkening a bright spot defect of a liquid crystal display device according to the present invention is for a pixel having a bright spot defect among pixels of a liquid crystal display device in which liquid crystal is sealed between a color filter substrate and a thin film transistor array substrate. This is a method for darkening a bright spot defect in a liquid crystal display device, in which at least a part of the color filter substrate is altered to reduce light transmittance by irradiating light, and the bright spot defect is applied to a pixel having a bright spot defect. Irradiating light with a spot size smaller than that of a pixel having light, and scanning the light within a pixel having a bright spot defect by moving the light relative to the liquid crystal display device. the step of scanning, the After increasing the energy of light irradiated per unit area on a pixel having a luminance point defect as the irradiation target continuously while scanning than at the scanning start, reaches a predetermined energy Energy While maintaining the ghee and has a step of scanning a region of the remaining pixels.

Also, the bright spot defect darkening device for a liquid crystal display device according to the present invention is a pixel having a bright spot defect among pixels of a liquid crystal display device in which liquid crystal is sealed between a color filter substrate and a thin film transistor array substrate. A light spot defect darkening device for a liquid crystal display device that lowers light transmittance by irradiating light to at least a part of a color filter substrate, the light source and a light source emitted from the light source A spot shaping device for shaping light into a spot size smaller than that of a pixel having a bright spot defect and irradiating the pixel having a bright spot defect, and a light irradiated to the pixel having a bright spot defect has a bright spot defect In order to scan within the pixel, a moving device that moves the light irradiated to the pixel having the bright spot defect relative to the liquid crystal display device, and the light irradiated to the pixel having the bright spot defect during scanning , Subject to irradiation Increased energy of light emitted per unit area on a pixel having a luminance point defect is continuously while scanning than at the scanning start, control for controlling so as to maintain a constant energy reaches the predetermined energy And a device.

  According to the dark spot defect darkening method for a liquid crystal display device according to the present invention, damage to a film such as a color filter can be suppressed, and a new bright spot defect is generated by the dark spot darkening process. Can be suppressed.

  Further, according to the bright spot defect darkening device of the liquid crystal display device according to the present invention, damage to a film such as a color filter can be suppressed, and a new bright spot defect is generated by the dark spot darkening process. It is possible to suppress the occurrence.

It is sectional drawing which shows the liquid crystal module in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a side view which shows the dark spot darkening apparatus of the bright spot defect of the liquid crystal display device in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows a mode that the laser beam in Embodiment 1 of this invention passes the opening part of a variable aperture apparatus, (a) is sectional drawing which shows the case where the beam diameter of a laser beam is small, (b) is a laser. It is sectional drawing which shows the case where the beam diameter of light is large. It is a top view which shows a mode that a laser beam is scanned within the pixel which has the luminescent spot defect in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the process of changing the spot size of the laser beam irradiated to the pixel which has the luminescent spot defect in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a side view which shows the dark spot darkening apparatus of the bright spot defect of the liquid crystal display device in Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the process of changing the energy per unit time of the laser beam radiate | emitted from the laser oscillator in Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a side view which shows the dark spot darkening apparatus of the bright spot defect of the liquid crystal display device in Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a side view which shows the dark spot darkening apparatus of the bright spot defect of the liquid crystal display device in Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the process of changing the speed which scans the laser beam irradiated to the pixel which has the luminescent spot defect in Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows a part of liquid crystal panel in Embodiment 5 of this invention.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
First, the configuration of the liquid crystal module 16 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a liquid crystal module 16 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the thickness of each component in the liquid crystal module 16 is illustrated differently from the actual ratio for the sake of explanation.

  In FIG. 1, the backlight 12 is disposed on the back side of the liquid crystal panel 15, and the drive control board 17 is electrically connected to the liquid crystal panel 15 and the backlight 12. The operations of the liquid crystal panel 15 and the backlight 12 are controlled by the drive control board 17.

  Next, the configuration of the liquid crystal panel 15 will be described. The liquid crystal panel 15 has a structure in which the liquid crystal 7 is sealed between a color filter substrate 13 a and a thin film transistor (hereinafter referred to as “TFT”, TFT: Thin Film Transistor) array substrate 14. The backlight 12 is disposed on the TFT array substrate 14 side.

  The color filter substrate 13a has a glass substrate 3, and a color filter 36 is disposed on one surface of the glass substrate 3, that is, on the surface on the liquid crystal 7 side. A common electrode 5 is disposed on the color filter 36, and an alignment film 6 is disposed on the common electrode 5. And the polarizing plate 2 is arrange | positioned on the other surface of the glass substrate 3, ie, an outer surface.

  The color filter 36 is disposed between the color filter colorant 1 that transmits light in a specific wavelength range corresponding to red (R), green (G), and blue (B), and the adjacent RGB pixels. A black matrix 4 that blocks light. As the color filter color material 1, for example, a colored material such as polyimide, acrylic or epoxy resin is used, and the thickness is, for example, about 1.2 μm. The black matrix is a film excellent in light-shielding properties, and a black film obtained by adding carbon to a resin, a metal chrome film, or the like is used, and the thickness is, for example, about 0.1 μm.

  The common electrode 5 is used to apply a voltage to the liquid crystal 7 and is formed of a transparent conductive film such as ITO (Indium Tin Oxide). The thickness of the common electrode 5 is, for example, about 50 to 150 nm.

  The alignment film 6 is for aligning the molecules of the liquid crystal 7 in a predetermined direction, and is formed of, for example, polyimide. The thickness is, for example, about 50 nm.

  The TFT array substrate 14 includes a glass substrate 10, a TFT array 9 is formed on one surface of the glass substrate 3, that is, a surface on the liquid crystal 7 side, and an alignment film 8 is disposed on the TFT array 9. ing. And the polarizing plate 11 is arrange | positioned on the other surface of the glass substrate 10, ie, an outer surface.

  The TFT array 9 includes a pixel electrode for applying a voltage to the liquid crystal 7, an array of TFTs for controlling the applied voltage, and the like. The drive control board 17 is electrically connected to the TFT array 9.

  As the alignment film 8, the same film as the alignment film 8 on the color filter substrate 13a side is used.

  Next, the backlight 12 will be described. As the backlight 12, for example, a surface light source formed from a point light source or a line light source such as a light emitting diode or a fluorescent tube, a surface light source using an electroluminescence element, or the like can be used.

  Next, the drive control board 17 will be described. The drive control board 17 includes a control IC and the like, and drives the liquid crystal 7 by controlling the operation of the TFT array 9 of the liquid crystal panel 15. The operation of the backlight 12 is also controlled.

  In the liquid crystal module 16 as described above, a bright spot defect may occur in the liquid crystal panel 15 when the liquid crystal panel 15 is manufactured. As described above, the bright spot defect is a defect that cannot be displayed as a desired color when a dark color such as black is displayed, and is visually recognized as a bright spot.

  Next, the configuration of the dark spot defect darkening device 37a of the liquid crystal display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described. Here, “darkening of bright spot defects” means not only that the bright spot defects are completely blackened, but also the brightness of the bright spot defects is lowered and darkened even if the bright spot defects are not completely blackened. This also includes making it inconspicuous. FIG. 2 is a side view showing a bright spot defect darkening device 37a of the liquid crystal display device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

  The bright spot defect darkening device 37 a of the liquid crystal display device includes a laser irradiation / observation unit 18, a liquid crystal panel installation unit 19, and a dark spotting device control device 38.

  The laser irradiation / observation unit 18 has functions of generating, shaping, condensing laser light, and the like, and observing the liquid crystal panel 15. The liquid crystal panel installation unit 19 is a laser beam generated by the laser irradiation / observation unit 18. Has a function of placing the liquid crystal panel 15 to be irradiated. Then, the laser beam generated by the laser irradiation / observation unit 18 is irradiated to the pixel having the bright spot defect of the liquid crystal panel 15 installed in the liquid crystal panel installation unit 19, thereby causing the bright spot defect of the liquid crystal panel 15. To darken.

  First, the laser irradiation / observation unit 18 will be described. In the laser irradiation / observation unit 18, power is supplied from a laser driving power source 21 to a laser oscillator 20, which is an example of a light source for dark spot defects, and laser light is generated. As the laser oscillator 20, a semiconductor laser, a solid-state laser, a gas laser, or the like can be used.

  Laser light emitted from the laser oscillator 20 is adjusted, shaped, and condensed by the adjusting optical system 22, the variable aperture device 23, and the objective lens 24, which is an example of a spot shaping device of the laser irradiation / observation unit 18. The liquid crystal panel 15 is irradiated with a smaller spot size.

  The variable aperture device 23, which is an example of a light shielding device, has a substantially circular or substantially rectangular opening 39, for example, and has a mechanism that can change the size of the opening 39. Here, the “size of the opening 39” indicates the diameter when the opening 39 is circular, and indicates the length of one side when the opening 39 is square. A part of the laser beam emitted from the laser oscillator 20 and reaching the variable aperture device 23 is blocked by the variable aperture device 23, and a part thereof passes through the opening 39. By changing the size of the opening 39, the amount of the laser beam emitted from the laser oscillator 20 can be blocked, in other words, the power (energy per unit time) of the laser beam passing through the opening 39 can be changed. it can.

  As the variable aperture device 23, for example, an iris diaphragm can be used when the opening 39 is circular, and a slit can be used when the aperture 39 is rectangular. The iris diaphragm can adjust the diameter of the opening 39 by adjusting the degree of overlap of the wings. The slit is composed of two pairs of slits arranged so as to be substantially orthogonal to each other, and the width of the opening 39 can be adjusted by adjusting the distance between the slits.

  The spot size of the laser beam on the liquid crystal panel 15 is determined by the size of the opening 39 of the variable aperture device 23 and the magnification of the objective lens 24. Here, the “spot size” of the laser beam indicates the diameter when the spot shape is circular, and indicates the length of one side when the spot shape is square. For example, if the size of the opening 39 is a square having a side of 200 μm and the magnification of the objective lens 24 is 40 times, the spot size of the laser light on the liquid crystal panel 15 is 200 μm × 1/40 = 5 μm. The spot size of the laser beam on the liquid crystal panel 15 can be controlled by adjusting the size of the opening 39 of the variable aperture device 23.

  The beam diameter of the laser beam in the variable aperture device 23 can be adjusted by the adjusting optical system 22. The adjustment optical system 22 is configured by an optical element such as a lens, a prism, or a diffractive optical element. When the beam diameter of the laser beam at the variable aperture device 23 is changed, the power of the laser beam passing through the opening 39 of the variable aperture device 23 is changed.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the laser light in the first embodiment of the present invention passes through the opening 39 of the variable aperture device 23, and FIG. 3A shows a case where the beam diameter of the incident laser light 31 is small. FIG. 4B is a sectional view showing a case where the beam diameter of the incident laser beam 31 is large. In FIG. 3, the traveling direction C of the laser beam 31 is a direction from left to right in FIG. 3, and the direction is indicated by an arrow in FIG.

  In FIG. 3, a laser beam 31 is incident on the variable aperture device 23 with a beam diameter larger than the size A of the opening 39 of the variable aperture device 23. The size A of the opening 39, the beam diameter B1 in FIG. 3A, and the beam diameter B2 in FIG. 3B have a relationship of B2> B1> A.

  Here, an example in which the size A of the opening 39 is a square having a side of 150 μm, the beam diameter B1 is 300 μm, and the beam diameter B2 is 1 mm is described.

  3A, when the adjustment optical system 22 sets the beam diameter B1 of the laser light 31 incident on the variable aperture device 23 to 300 μm and the size A of the aperture 39 of the variable aperture device 23 to 150 μm, the aperture 39 The power of the laser beam 40 that has passed through is about 25% immediately before the variable aperture device 23.

  3B, when the adjustment optical system 22 sets the beam diameter B2 of the laser light 31 incident on the variable aperture device 23 to 1 mm and the size A of the aperture 39 of the variable aperture device 23 to 150 μm, the aperture The power of the laser beam 40 that has passed through the portion 39 is about 2% immediately before the variable aperture device 23.

  That is, when the beam diameter of the incident laser beam 31 is increased with respect to the size A of the opening 39 of the variable aperture device 23, the power of the laser beam 40 passing through the opening 39 is decreased. Conversely, when the beam diameter of the incident laser beam 31 is reduced with respect to the size A of the opening 30, the power of the laser beam 40 passing through the opening 39 is increased. Therefore, in consideration of what percentage of the power of the laser beam emitted from the laser oscillator 20 is necessary for the dark spot of the bright spot defect, the laser beam 31 incident on the variable aperture device 23 The beam diameter and the size A of the opening 39 of the variable aperture device 23 are adjusted.

  If the beam diameter of the incident laser beam 31 is smaller than the size A of the opening 39, the spot shaping effect of the laser beam by the variable aperture device 23 is lost.

  In the laser irradiation / observation unit 18, the part that observes the liquid crystal panel 15 includes an objective lens 24, a mirror 25, and a camera 26. Light incident on the objective lens 24 from the liquid crystal panel 15 side is reflected by the mirror 25 and enters the camera 26. The light incident on the camera 26 is displayed as an image on a display (not shown).

  In the bright spot defect darkening device 37a of the liquid crystal display device, the optical path for observation and the optical path of the laser beam for dark spot of the bright spot defect coincide with each other on the objective lens 24. . Therefore, it is desirable that the mirror 25 has a high transmittance with respect to the laser beam for dark spot defect dark spot defect and a high reflectance with respect to the light for observation of the liquid crystal panel 15. The selection of the light transmittance level may be made according to the wavelength or polarization of the light. In other words, the wavelength and polarization of the laser light for dark spot defect darkening and the light for observation of the liquid crystal panel 15 are made different from each other, and the wavelength of the laser light for dark spot defect darkening is set. The transmittance is high for mirrors with high transmittance and high reflectivity for other wavelengths, and the polarization of laser light for dark spot darkening of bright spot defects. Use a mirror with high reflectivity.

  Further, the laser irradiation / observation unit 18 is provided with a Z stage 27 for focusing on the liquid crystal panel 15 when irradiating the laser light for dark spot defect dark spot irradiation or observing the liquid crystal panel 15. Has been. The Z stage 27 can adjust the distance between the laser irradiation / observation unit 18 and the liquid crystal panel 15, and moves the laser irradiation / observation unit 18 in the vertical direction in FIG. Adjust the focus of light and light for observation.

  Next, the liquid crystal panel installation unit 19 will be described. The liquid crystal panel installation unit 19 includes an XY table 28, an observation light source 29, and a drive control device 41.

  The XY table 28 has the liquid crystal panel 15 mounted on the upper surface thereof, and can move in two directions substantially orthogonal to each other within a plane substantially perpendicular to the laser light incident on the liquid crystal panel 15. Thereby, a laser beam can be irradiated to an arbitrary place on the liquid crystal panel 15. The XY table 28 is provided with a transmission hole 30, and light emitted from an observation light source 29 installed on the opposite side of the surface on which the liquid crystal panel 15 of the XY table 28 is placed passes through the transmission hole 30. The liquid crystal panel 15 is irradiated therethrough.

  As the observation light source 29, for example, a light emitting diode or a lamp is used. Further, it is preferable that a lens for collecting the light emitted from the observation light source 29 is also provided.

  The drive control device 41 is electrically connected to the liquid crystal panel 15 and drives the liquid crystal 7 by controlling the operation of the TFT array 9 of the liquid crystal panel 15. Since the function of the drive control device 41 is basically the same as that of the drive control board 17 of the liquid crystal module 16, instead of providing the drive control device 41 in the bright spot defect darkening device 37a of the liquid crystal display device, liquid crystal The drive control board 17 of the module 16 may be used.

  When observing the liquid crystal panel 15, it is preferable to operate the liquid crystal panel 15 by the drive control device 41 to display all black. By displaying all black, the portion other than the bright spot defect is displayed in black, while in the bright spot defect portion, the observation light emitted from the observation light source 29 leaks to become a bright spot, and is identified as a bright spot defect. It becomes easy to do.

  Next, the dark spot control device 38 will be described. The dark spot device controller 38 is connected to the variable aperture device 23 and controls the size of the opening 39 of the variable aperture device 23 to a desired size. In other words, the spot size of the laser beam irradiated to the liquid crystal panel 15 is controlled by the control device 38 for the dark spot device controlling the size of the opening 39 of the variable aperture device 23. Then, by controlling the spot size of the laser beam, the energy per unit time of the laser beam irradiated on the liquid crystal panel 15 can be controlled.

  The bright spot defects of the liquid crystal panel 15 are darkened by the bright spot defect darkening device 37a of the liquid crystal display device described above. Specifically, a pixel having a bright spot defect of the liquid crystal panel 15 is irradiated with laser light, and a part of the color filter substrate 13a is altered to reduce light transmittance, thereby reducing the bright spot defect to a dark spot. Turn into.

  Here, “a part of the color filter substrate 13a” refers to a component constituting the color filter substrate 13a. For example, the alignment film 6, the common electrode 5, the color filter color material 1, the glass substrate 3, and the polarizing plate 2 are used. Etc. All of these need not be altered, and at least one of them may be altered to reduce the light transmittance.

  Next, a bright spot defect darkening method for a liquid crystal display device using the bright spot defect dark spot darkening device 37a of the liquid crystal display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described. Here, a case where the bright spot defect is completely blackened will be described as an example.

  First, the liquid crystal panel 15 is set on the XY table 28. Here, the liquid crystal panel 15 is installed on the transmission hole 30 of the XY table 28 so that the observation light emitted from the observation light source 29 is irradiated onto the liquid crystal panel 15. Further, the liquid crystal panel 15 is installed so that laser light enters from the TFT array substrate 14 side.

  Next, the drive control device 41 and the liquid crystal panel 15 are connected, and an all black display signal is sent from the drive control device 41 to the liquid crystal panel 15 to place the liquid crystal panel 15 in the all black display state. Then, the observation light source 29 emits observation light to the liquid crystal panel 15, and light leaking from the liquid crystal panel 15 is received by the camera 26 to observe the bright spot defect of the liquid crystal panel 15. Here, the liquid crystal panel 15 is moved by the XY table 28 and all the pixels of the liquid crystal panel 15 are observed.

  It should be noted that when the observation of the liquid crystal panel 15 is performed, the site where the bright spot defect is found is stored, and after the observation of all the pixels or a part of the entire area is finished, the bright spot defect is blackened. Processing may be performed, or a bright spot defect blackening process may be performed every time a bright spot defect is discovered during observation. Here, a case where the blackening process is performed after observing all the pixels will be described.

  First, the liquid crystal panel 15 is moved by the XY table 28 so that a pixel having a bright spot defect discovered by observing the liquid crystal panel 15 can be irradiated with laser light.

  Next, a process of irradiating a pixel having a bright spot defect with laser light with a spot size smaller than that of a pixel having a bright spot defect will be described.

  First, power is supplied to the laser oscillator 20 by the laser driving power source 21, and laser light is emitted from the laser oscillator 20. The emitted laser light is adjusted in beam diameter and the like by the adjusting optical system 22 and enters the variable aperture device 23. A part of the laser light incident on the variable aperture device 23 is blocked by the variable aperture device 23, and part of the laser light passes through the opening 39 of the variable aperture device 23 and enters the objective lens 24. The laser light incident on the objective lens 24 is condensed by the objective lens 24 and is irradiated to the pixel having the bright spot defect of the liquid crystal panel 15 with a spot size smaller than that of the pixel having the bright spot defect.

  Next, a process of scanning a laser beam in the pixel 32 having a bright spot defect will be described. FIG. 4 is a top view showing a state in which laser light is scanned in the pixel 32 having a bright spot defect according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

  The pixels of the liquid crystal panel 15 are, for example, a rectangle having a side of several tens of μm to several hundreds of μm or a shape close to a rectangle. As shown in FIG. 4, in order to blacken the pixel 32 having a bright spot defect without a gap with a spot size smaller than the pixel 32 having such a bright spot defect, for example, a spot size of several μm to several tens of μm. The laser beam is scanned in the pixel. The laser beam scanning is performed by moving the XY table 28 on which the liquid crystal panel 15 is placed.

  FIG. 4 shows an example of a laser beam scanning path. Here, the scanning start point 33 is set at the corner of the pixel 32 having the bright spot defect, and the laser beam scanning is started. The laser beam is scanned from the scanning start point 33 in a zigzag-shaped pixel 32 having a bright spot defect without a gap, and is set at a scanning end point 34 set at a different corner from the scanning start point 33 of the pixel 32 having a bright spot defect. When it reaches, the scanning is finished. Note that this scanning path is not limited to that shown in FIG. 4, and any path may be used as long as it scans the pixel 32 having the bright spot defect without any gap.

  Here, what is blackened by laser light irradiation is mainly the color filter color material 1, the alignment film 6, the common electrode 5, and the like which are part of the color filter substrate 13 a of the liquid crystal panel 15. Thus, the composition to be blackened is a thin film having a thickness of several μm or less. When the laser beam is irradiated, these components are altered and blackened by the heat absorbed by the laser beam.

  When blackening such a thin film component, if the energy of the laser beam irradiated per unit area of the thin film to be blackened is large, these thin films are damaged. This is presumably because stress is applied to the thin film because the thin film is rapidly heated and rapidly expands during laser light irradiation. If these thin films are damaged in the liquid crystal panel 15, foreign matter may be scattered in the liquid crystal 7 and a new bright spot defect may be generated in the pixels around the blackened pixels.

  On the other hand, if the energy of the laser light irradiated per unit area is set small so that these thin films are not damaged, the thin film can be prevented from being damaged, but the energy given to the thin film to be blackened is insufficient, A blackening level sufficient to blacken the bright spot defect cannot be obtained.

  Further, during the blackening process, the stress is most applied to the thin film such as the color filter coloring material 1, the alignment film 6, and the common electrode 5 of the liquid crystal panel 15 at the scanning start point 33 where the temperature change of the thin film is the most rapid. . Therefore, the thin film is easily damaged at the scanning start point 33.

  In the first embodiment of the present invention, in order to solve the above-described problems, the laser beam is scanned per unit area of the pixel having the bright spot defect in the step of scanning the laser light within the pixel having the bright spot defect. A step of making the energy of the laser light larger than that at the start of scanning. In the first embodiment of the present invention, the step of increasing the energy of the laser beam irradiated per unit area of the pixel having the bright spot defect is larger than that at the start of scanning. A part of the laser beam emitted from the laser oscillator 20 is used. This is realized by a step of changing the spot size of the laser beam irradiated to the pixel having the bright spot defect by changing the amount of blocking the laser beam emitted from the laser oscillator 20.

  Next, a part of the laser beam emitted from the laser oscillator 20 is blocked, and the amount of the laser beam emitted from the laser oscillator 20 is changed to change the amount of the laser beam irradiated to the pixel having the bright spot defect. A process of changing the spot size will be described. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a process of changing the spot size of the laser light irradiated to the pixel having the bright spot defect in the first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 5, the horizontal axis indicates time t, and the vertical axis indicates the laser beam spot size S on the liquid crystal panel 15.

  As shown in FIG. 5, at time t0, the laser beam is irradiated with the initial spot size S0, and scanning is started. That is, the spot size at the scanning start point 33 becomes the initial spot size S0. The spot size of the laser beam is made larger than that at the start of scanning simultaneously with the start of scanning, and is set to the final spot size S1 at time t1. Here, S0 <S1. The time required for enlarging the spot size, that is, t1-t0 is defined as the spot size enlarging time Δt1. After the spot size is expanded to the final spot size S1, scanning is performed with the final spot size S1 until the time t2 when the laser beam reaches the scanning end point 34 and the scanning ends.

  In FIG. 5, the spot size of the laser beam is changed linearly with respect to time, but the same effect can be obtained by changing the spot size of the laser beam with a curve or step with respect to time.

  Here, the spot size is adjusted by controlling the size of the opening 39 of the variable aperture device 23 by the dark spot control device 38. The laser light emitted from the laser oscillator 20 is partially blocked by the variable aperture device 23 and partially passes through the opening 39, and thus has a bright spot defect by changing the size of the opening 39. The spot size of the laser light irradiated to the pixel can be changed. Thus, by changing the spot size using the variable aperture device 23, it is possible to change the power (energy per unit time) of the laser light applied to the pixel having the bright spot defect. Since this laser beam is scanned at a constant speed, the energy of the laser beam irradiated per unit area of a pixel having a bright spot defect also changes as the power of the laser beam changes.

  These initial spot size S0, final spot size S1, and spot size expansion time Δt1 are other parameters such as the power of the laser beam emitted from the laser oscillator 20, the scanning speed of the laser beam, and the scanning path of the laser beam. Similarly, it is set for each model and pixel color of the target liquid crystal panel 15 and registered as a recipe. Then, the recipe is called according to the model of the liquid crystal panel 15 and the color of the pixel, and the dark spot darkening process of the bright spot defect is performed.

  The final spot size S1 is set to a spot size at which the power of laser light optimal for blackening a pixel having a bright spot defect is obtained. For example, the initial spot size S0 is preferably about a half of the final spot size S1, so that the power of the laser beam is about a quarter of that of the final spot size S1.

  The final spot size S1 is, for example, about 3 to 5 μm, and the power of the laser light applied to the pixel having the bright spot defect at this time is, for example, about 20 to 100 mW, preferably about 40 mW. The initial spot size S0 is, for example, about 1.5 to 2.5 μm, and the power of the laser light applied to the pixel having the bright spot defect at this time is, for example, about 5 to 25 mW, and about 10 mW. preferable. The scanning speed of the laser beam, that is, the moving speed of the XY table 28 is preferably about 40 μm / s, for example, and the spot size expansion time Δt1 is preferably about 1 second.

  In the first embodiment of the present invention, the process of irradiating a pixel having a bright spot defect with a laser beam with a spot size smaller than that of the pixel having a bright spot defect as described above and the laser light relative to the liquid crystal panel 15 And scanning the laser light within the pixel having the bright spot defect, and the step of scanning the laser light includes a step of scanning the laser light irradiated per unit area of the pixel having the bright spot defect. By having a step of making the energy larger than that at the start of scanning, in the vicinity of the scanning start point 33, the scanning of the laser light is performed while reducing the energy of the laser light irradiated per unit area of the pixel having the bright spot defect. From the middle, the energy of the laser beam irradiated per unit area of the pixel having the bright spot defect can be set to a size suitable for dark spot defect. Thereby, in the vicinity of the scanning start point 33 where the thin films such as the color filter coloring material 1, the alignment film 6, the common electrode 5 and the like of the liquid crystal panel 15 are easily damaged during the dark spot processing of the bright spot defect, these thin films are damaged. From the middle of the scanning of the laser beam, there is an effect that the dark spot can be sufficiently darkened with the energy suitable for dark spot of the bright spot defect. That is, at the time of dark spot processing, it is possible to achieve both suppression of damage to the thin film in the liquid crystal panel 15 and sufficient dark spot processing.

  It should be noted that dark spots may not be sufficient in the vicinity of the scanning start point 33 by suppressing the energy of the laser light irradiated per unit area of the pixel having the bright spot defect in the vicinity of the scanning start point 33. However, such an area where dark spots are not sufficiently dark is a narrow area within a pixel, and therefore, when a visual inspection is performed after dark spot processing, the difference is often not visible. When there is a large difference between a sufficiently darkened area and an insufficiently darkened area, the dark spotting becomes sufficient when the laser beam is scanned twice only in an area where the darkened area is insufficiently darkened.

  Further, the step of increasing the energy of the laser beam irradiated per unit area of the pixel having the bright spot defect than that at the start of scanning blocks part of the laser beam emitted from the laser oscillator 20, and the laser oscillator By changing the spot size of the laser beam irradiated to the pixel having the bright spot defect by changing the amount of blocking the laser beam emitted from 20, the laser beam can be changed by changing the amount of blocking the laser beam. By changing the spot size, it is possible to adjust the energy of the laser light applied to the pixel having the bright spot defect. Since only the amount of blocking the laser beam is changed, the energy of the laser beam applied to the pixel having the bright spot defect can be adjusted without changing the power density of the laser beam. Since the spot size of the laser beam is reduced without changing the power density of the laser beam, not only the temperature change of the thin film in the liquid crystal panel 15 due to the laser beam irradiation can be suppressed, but also the area heated by the laser beam. Becomes smaller. By reducing the area to be heated, the stress applied to the thin film is also reduced, and damage to the thin film can be further suppressed.

  Laser oscillator 20 and variable aperture device 23 that is a spot shaping device that shapes laser light emitted from laser oscillator 20 into a spot size smaller than a pixel having a bright spot defect and irradiates the pixel having a bright spot defect, etc. In order to scan the laser beam irradiated to the pixel having the bright spot defect within the pixel having the bright spot defect, the laser beam irradiated to the pixel having the bright spot defect is relatively to the liquid crystal panel 15. The XY table 28 to be moved to and the laser beam irradiated to the pixel having the bright spot defect during scanning with the laser light irradiated per unit area of the pixel having the bright spot defect is larger than that at the start of scanning. And the dark spot darkening device control device 38 for controlling so that the light is emitted per unit area of the pixel having the bright spot defect in the vicinity of the scanning start point 33. -While reducing the energy of the laser beam, from the middle of the scanning of the laser beam, the energy of the laser beam irradiated per unit area of the pixel having the bright spot defect is a size suitable for dark spot of the bright spot defect. Can be. Thereby, in the vicinity of the scanning start point 33 where the thin films such as the color filter coloring material 1, the alignment film 6, the common electrode 5 and the like of the liquid crystal panel 15 are easily damaged during the dark spot processing of the bright spot defect, these thin films are damaged. From the middle of the scanning of the laser beam, there is an effect that the dark spot can be sufficiently darkened with the energy suitable for dark spot of the bright spot defect. That is, at the time of dark spot processing, it is possible to achieve both suppression of damage to the thin film in the liquid crystal panel 15 and sufficient dark spot processing.

  The spot shaping device has a variable aperture device 23 that is an example of a light shielding device that blocks a part of the light emitted from the light source, the dark spot device control device 38 emits the variable aperture device 23 from the laser oscillator 20. The spot size of the laser beam is changed by changing the spot size of the laser beam irradiated to the pixel having the bright spot defect by changing the amount of blocking the emitted laser beam, thereby changing the spot size of the laser beam. Thereby, the energy of the laser beam irradiated to the pixel having the bright spot defect can be adjusted. Since only the amount of blocking the laser beam is changed, the energy of the laser beam applied to the pixel having the bright spot defect can be adjusted without changing the power density of the laser beam. Since the spot size of the laser beam is reduced without changing the power density of the laser beam, not only the temperature change of the thin film in the liquid crystal panel 15 due to the laser beam irradiation can be suppressed, but also the area heated by the laser beam. Becomes smaller. By reducing the area to be heated, the stress applied to the thin film is also reduced, and damage to the thin film can be further suppressed.

  In the first embodiment of the present invention, laser light is used as the light used for the dark spot darkening process of the bright spot defect, and the laser oscillator 20 is used as the light source. However, the light used is not limited to laser light. Therefore, a light emitting diode, a lamp, or the like may be used as the light source.

  In the first embodiment of the present invention, the laser beam is scanned by moving the liquid crystal panel 15 using the XY table 28. However, instead of moving the XY table 28 and moving the liquid crystal panel 15, the laser irradiation / observation unit 18 may be moved to scan the laser beam.

  In Embodiment 1 of the present invention, the shape of the opening 39 of the variable opening device 23 is circular or square. However, the shape is not limited to this, and any shape such as a rectangle or other polygons may be used. .

  Further, when a slit is used as the variable opening device 23, the slit is composed of two pairs of slits arranged so as to be substantially orthogonal to each other. However, the present invention is not limited to this. That is, a pair of slits or more than three pairs of slits may be used. Further, the laser beam may be blocked by a single slit instead of a pair.

  In Embodiment 1 of the present invention, laser light is scanned without gaps within a pixel having a bright spot defect, but a certain effect can be obtained even with some gaps. In addition, although the entire pixel having the bright spot defect is scanned, it is not always necessary to scan the entire pixel. This is because the bright spot defect may occur in the entire pixel or only in a part of the pixel. When a luminescent spot defect occurs only in a part of the pixel, only the part where the luminescent spot defect occurs may be scanned with a laser beam to perform dark spot processing.

  In Embodiment 1 of the present invention, the liquid crystal panel 15 is installed so that laser light is incident from the TFT array substrate 14 side. However, you may install so that a laser beam may inject from the color filter board | substrate 13a side. However, when the laser beam is incident from the TFT array substrate 14 side, foreign matters such as impurities and ions can be prevented from being scattered during the laser beam irradiation.

  In the first embodiment of the present invention, the liquid crystal panel 15 after the polarizing plate 2 and the polarizing plate 11 are attached is the target of the dark spot processing of the bright spot defect. The liquid crystal panel before mounting may be targeted.

  Further, not only the liquid crystal panel, but also the dark spot defect darkening process may be performed in the state of the liquid crystal module 16 to which the backlight 12 or the like is attached. When the liquid crystal module 16 is a target, the backlight 12 is attached, and therefore the observation light source 29 may be omitted. The direction in which the laser light is incident is preferably incident from the color filter substrate 13a side in the state where the backlight 12 is attached.

  Further, as a target to be altered when irradiated with laser light, any of the polarizing plate 2, the glass substrate 3, the color filter color material 1, the common electrode 5, and the alignment film 6 which are part of the color filter substrate 13a may be used. If at least one of these changes in quality and the light transmittance decreases, a certain effect can be obtained. Further, the present invention is not limited to the color filter substrate 13a, and at least one of the polarizing plate 11, the glass substrate 10, the TFT array 9, and the alignment film 8 which are a part of the TFT array substrate 14 is altered to transmit light. Even if the rate decreases, a certain effect can be obtained.

  In Embodiment 1 of the present invention, the dark spot defect darkening process target is the liquid crystal panel 15 in which the common electrode 5 is disposed on the color filter substrate 13a side. However, the present invention is not limited to this. A liquid crystal panel in which the common electrode 5 is disposed on the TFT array substrate 14 side, for example, an IPS (In Plane Switching) type liquid crystal panel may be used. That is, it is not limited by the type of liquid crystal panel.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
FIG. 6 is a side view showing a dark spot defect darkening device 37b of the liquid crystal display device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 6, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 2 denote the same or corresponding components, and the description thereof is omitted. The first embodiment of the present invention is different from the first embodiment in that the dark spot controller 38 is connected to the laser drive power source 21 so that the power supplied to the laser oscillator 20 can be controlled.

  The laser driving power source 21 is controlled by the dark spot control device 38 and the power supplied to the laser oscillator 20 is controlled, whereby the power (energy per unit time) of the laser beam emitted from the laser oscillator 20 is controlled. Can be changed.

  Next, a bright spot defect darkening method of a liquid crystal display device using the bright spot defect dark spot darkening device 37b of the liquid crystal display device according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The description of the same steps as those in Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be omitted. The first embodiment of the present invention is a pixel having a bright spot defect by blocking a part of the laser beam emitted from the laser oscillator 20 and changing the amount of blocking the laser beam emitted from the laser oscillator 20. The difference is that instead of the step of changing the spot size of the laser beam irradiated on the laser beam, the step of changing the energy per unit time of the laser beam emitted from the laser oscillator 20 is different.

  A process of changing the energy per unit time of the laser light emitted from the laser oscillator 20 will be described. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a process of changing the energy per unit time of the laser light emitted from the laser oscillator 20 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 7, the horizontal axis indicates time t, and the vertical axis indicates the power P of laser light emitted from the laser oscillator 20.

  As shown in FIG. 7, at time t0, laser light is emitted from the laser oscillator 20 with the initial power P0, and scanning is started. That is, the power of the laser beam emitted from the laser oscillator 20 at the scanning start point 33 becomes the initial power P0. Simultaneously with the start of scanning, the power of the laser beam is made larger than that at the start of scanning, and is set to the final power P1 at time t3. Here, P0 <P1. The time required for the power increase, that is, t3-t0 is set as the power increase time Δt2. After the power of the laser beam is increased to the final power P1, scanning is performed with the final power P1 until the time t2 when the laser beam reaches the scanning end point 34 and the scanning is completed.

  In FIG. 7, the power of the laser beam is changed linearly with respect to time, but the same effect can be obtained by changing the power of the laser light into a curve or step with respect to time.

  Here, the adjustment of the power of the laser light emitted from the laser oscillator 20 is performed by controlling the magnitude of the power supplied from the laser drive power supply 21 to the laser oscillator 20 by the dark spot control device 38. By changing the power of the laser beam emitted from the laser oscillator 20, the power of the laser beam irradiated to the pixel having the bright spot defect can be changed. Since this laser beam is scanned at a constant speed, the energy of the laser beam irradiated per unit area of a pixel having a bright spot defect also changes as the power of the laser beam changes.

  These initial power P0, final power P1, and power increase time Δt2 are the same as other parameters such as the size of the opening 39 of the variable aperture device 23, the scanning speed of the laser beam, and the path of scanning the laser beam. The target liquid crystal panel 15 is set for each model and pixel color and registered as a recipe. Then, the recipe is called according to the model of the liquid crystal panel 15 and the color of the pixel, and the dark spot darkening process of the bright spot defect is performed.

  The final power P1 is set to a power that can obtain the power of laser light that is optimal for blackening a pixel having a bright spot defect. The initial power P0 is preferably set to about one quarter of the final power P1, for example.

  The final power P1 is preferably set so that the power of the laser light irradiated to the pixel having the bright spot defect is, for example, about 20 to 100 mW, and the power of the laser light irradiated to the pixel having the bright spot defect. Is particularly preferably about 40 mW. The initial power P0 is preferably set so that the power of the laser light applied to the pixel having the bright spot defect is, for example, about 5 to 25 mW, and the power of the laser light applied to the pixel having the bright spot defect is set. Is particularly preferably about 10 mW. The power increase time Δt2 is preferably about 1 second.

  In the second embodiment of the present invention, the dark spot controller 38 is connected to the laser drive power source 21 so that the power supplied to the laser oscillator 20 can be controlled, and the laser light emitted from the laser oscillator 20 is controlled. By changing the energy per unit time and by changing the energy per unit time of the laser light emitted from the laser oscillator 20, the laser light irradiated to the pixel having the bright spot defect can be obtained. Power can be easily controlled, and at the time of darkening treatment, it is possible to achieve both suppression of damage to the thin film in the liquid crystal panel 15 and sufficient darkening.

  This is particularly effective when a semiconductor laser is used as the laser oscillator 20. In the case of a solid-state laser or a gas laser, the state of the laser oscillator 20 may be changed by changing the power supplied from the laser drive power supply 21, but a certain effect can be obtained.

  In the second embodiment of the present invention, portions different from the first embodiment of the present invention are described, and descriptions of the same or corresponding portions are omitted.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
FIG. 8 is a side view showing a bright spot defect darkening device 37c of the liquid crystal display device according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. In FIG. 8, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 6 denote the same or corresponding components, and the description thereof is omitted. In the second embodiment of the present invention, a variable attenuator 42 is provided between the objective lens 24 and the liquid crystal panel 15, the dark spot control device 38 is connected to the variable attenuator 42, and the variable attenuator 42. The configuration is such that the amount of attenuation of the laser beam due to can be controlled.

  The laser irradiated to the liquid crystal panel 15 is controlled by controlling the variable attenuator 42 by the control device 38 for the dark spot device and controlling the attenuation amount of the laser light emitted from the objective lens 24 and irradiated to the liquid crystal panel 15. Light power (energy per unit time) can be changed.

  Next, a bright spot defect darkening method for a liquid crystal display device using the bright spot defect dark spot darkening device 37c of the liquid crystal display device according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described. The description of the same steps as those in Embodiment 2 of the present invention is omitted. The second embodiment of the present invention is provided on the optical path between the laser oscillator 20 and the liquid crystal panel 15 instead of the step of changing the energy per unit time of the laser light emitted from the laser oscillator 20. The difference is that the variable attenuator 42 includes a step of changing the attenuation amount of the laser light emitted from the laser oscillator 20.

  A process of changing the attenuation amount of the laser light emitted from the laser oscillator 20 by the variable attenuator 42 installed on the optical path between the laser oscillator 20 and the liquid crystal panel 15 will be described.

  In this step, at the start of scanning of the laser beam, that is, at the scanning start point 33, the attenuation amount of the laser beam is increased, and the attenuation amount is decreased with the start of the scanning to reduce the power of the laser beam irradiated to the liquid crystal panel 15. Make it bigger. After reaching the desired power, scanning is performed with the same amount of attenuation until the laser beam reaches the scanning end point 34 and the scanning is completed. The state of change in the power of the laser beam is the same as in FIG.

  The third embodiment of the present invention includes a variable attenuator 42 installed on the optical path between the laser oscillator 20 and the liquid crystal panel 15 for the laser light emitted from the laser oscillator 20, and controls the dark spot device. The apparatus 38 changes the amount of attenuation of the laser light in the variable attenuator 42 and is emitted from the laser oscillator 20 by the variable attenuator 42 installed on the optical path between the laser oscillator 20 and the liquid crystal panel 15. By having the step of changing the amount of attenuation of the laser beam, the power of the laser beam irradiated to the pixel having the bright spot defect can be easily controlled, and the thin film in the liquid crystal panel 15 is subjected to the dark spot processing. It is possible to achieve both suppression of damage and sufficient darkening.

  When a solid laser or a gas laser is used as the laser oscillator 20, the state of the laser oscillator 20 may change when the power supplied from the laser drive power supply 21 is changed as in the second embodiment of the present invention. In the third embodiment of the present invention, the power supplied from the laser drive power supply 21 remains constant, the power of the laser light can be changed by the variable attenuator 42, and irradiation is performed without changing the state of the laser oscillator 20. The power of the laser beam can be changed, which is particularly useful.

  In the third embodiment of the present invention, portions different from the second embodiment of the present invention are described, and descriptions of the same or corresponding portions are omitted.

Embodiment 4 FIG.
FIG. 9 is a side view showing a bright spot defect darkening device 37d of the liquid crystal display device according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. 9, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 2 indicate the same or corresponding components, and the description thereof is omitted. The first embodiment of the present invention is different from the first embodiment in that the dark spot control device 38 is connected to the XY table 28 so that the speed at which the XY table 28 is moved can be controlled.

  By controlling the speed at which the XY table 28 is moved by the dark spot device controller 38, the energy of the laser beam irradiated per unit area of the pixel having the bright spot defect can be changed.

  Next, a bright spot defect darkening method for a liquid crystal display device using the bright spot defect dark spot darkening device 37d for the liquid crystal display device according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention will be described. The description of the same steps as those in Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be omitted. The first embodiment of the present invention is a pixel having a bright spot defect by blocking a part of the laser beam emitted from the laser oscillator 20 and changing the amount of blocking the laser beam emitted from the laser oscillator 20. The difference is that instead of the step of changing the spot size of the laser beam irradiated to the pixel, the step of changing the scanning speed of the laser beam irradiated to the pixel having the bright spot defect is different.

  A process of changing the scanning speed of the laser beam irradiated to the pixel having the bright spot defect will be described. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a process of changing the scanning speed of the laser beam irradiated to the pixel having the bright spot defect according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 10, the horizontal axis indicates time t, and the vertical axis indicates the speed v at which the XY table 28 is scanned, that is, the speed v at which the laser beam is scanned.

  As shown in FIG. 10, at time t0, laser light irradiation and scanning are started at the initial scanning speed v0. That is, the scanning speed of the laser beam at the scanning start point 33 is the initial scanning speed v0. The scanning speed at the same time as the start of scanning is made slower than that at the start of scanning, and the final scanning speed v1 is set at time t4. Here, v0> v1. The time required to decelerate the scanning speed, that is, t4-t0 is set as the scanning speed deceleration time Δt3. After the scanning speed of the laser beam is reduced to the final scanning speed v1, scanning is performed with the final scanning speed v1 until the time t5 when the laser beam reaches the scanning end point 34 and the scanning ends. .

  In FIG. 10, the scanning speed of the laser beam is changed linearly with respect to time, but the same effect can be obtained by changing the speed of the laser light into a curve or step with respect to time.

  Here, the adjustment of the scanning speed of the XY table 28, that is, the scanning speed of the laser beam is performed by the dark spot control device controller 38. By changing the scanning speed of the laser beam, the energy of the laser beam irradiated per unit area of the pixel having the bright spot defect can be changed.

  These initial scanning speed v0, final scanning speed v1, and scanning speed deceleration time Δt3 are the size of the opening 39 of the variable aperture device 23, the power of the laser light emitted from the laser oscillator 20, and the scanning of the laser light. Similar to other parameters such as the route to be performed, it is set for each model and pixel color of the target liquid crystal panel 15 and registered as a recipe. Then, the recipe is called according to the model of the liquid crystal panel 15 and the color of the pixel, and the dark spot darkening process of the bright spot defect is performed.

  The final scanning speed v1 is set to a speed at which energy optimal for blackening a pixel having a bright spot defect is supplied to the pixel having a bright spot defect. The initial scanning speed v0 is preferably set to about one quarter of the final scanning speed, for example.

  The final scanning speed v1 is preferably about 40 to 200 μm / s, for example. The initial scanning speed v0 is preferably about 10 to 50 μm / s, for example. The scanning speed deceleration time Δt3 is preferably about 1 second.

  In Embodiment 4 of the present invention, the dark spot control device 38 and the XY table 28 are connected so that the scanning speed of the XY table 28, that is, the scanning speed of the laser beam can be controlled. In addition, the step of changing the scanning speed of the laser beam irradiated to the pixel having the bright spot defect can change the energy of the laser light irradiated per unit area of the pixel having the bright spot defect. It can be easily controlled, and at the time of darkening treatment, it is possible to achieve both suppression of damage to the thin film in the liquid crystal panel 15 and sufficient darkening.

  In the fourth embodiment of the present invention, portions different from the first embodiment of the present invention are described, and descriptions of the same or corresponding portions are omitted.

  The first to fourth embodiments of the present invention described above can be combined with each other. For example, by combining the first and second embodiments of the present invention, the laser beam power is adjusted by adjusting the power of the laser beam by the variable aperture device 23 and adjusting the power supply from the laser driving power source 21 to the laser oscillator 20. In combination with the above adjustment, the power of the laser beam can be finely adjusted, which is more effective. Similarly, it is more effective to use any two combinations, three combinations, or all combinations of the first to fourth embodiments of the present invention.

Embodiment 5 FIG.
FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of liquid crystal panel 15 according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention. In FIG. 11, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1 denote the same or corresponding components, and the description thereof is omitted. The first embodiment of the present invention is different from the first embodiment in that the color filter substrate 13b in which the protective film 35 is provided between the color filter 36 and the common electrode 5 is used. As the protective film 35, for example, an acrylic resin is used.

  In the configurations and methods of Embodiments 1 to 4 of the present invention, damage to thin films such as the color filter color material 1, the common electrode 5, and the alignment film 8 in the liquid crystal panel 15 can be suppressed. However, although there is a low probability, a new bright spot defect may occur in a pixel around a pixel having a bright spot defect that has been darkened. This is because although the thin film in the liquid crystal panel 15 is not damaged, impurities and ions may be generated and diffused into the liquid crystal 7 when the thin film is altered.

  In Embodiment 5 of the present invention, by providing the protective film 35 on the liquid crystal 7 side of the color filter 36, impurities and ions generated particularly from the color filter color material 1 during the dark spot processing of the bright spot defect are The liquid crystal 7 can be confined so as not to diffuse. Thereby, it is possible to further suppress the occurrence of a bright spot defect in peripheral pixels due to the dark spot darkening process of the bright spot defect.

  In addition, the protective film 35 is roughly divided into an ultraviolet curing type and a thermosetting type, but the thermal curing type has high heat resistance and is not easily damaged even when irradiated with laser light during the darkening process. Is more effective. Furthermore, it is particularly effective when the heat-resistant temperature of the protective film 35 is higher than that of the color filter color material 1.

  In the case where the protective film 35 is provided on the color filter 36, it is more effective to irradiate the liquid crystal panel 15 with laser light from the color filter substrate 13b side than from the TFT array substrate 14 side. It is more effective from the viewpoint of not spreading.

  Further, the bright spot defect may be darkened by altering the protective film 35 when the laser beam is irradiated.

  In Embodiment 5 of the present invention, the liquid crystal panel 15 has the common electrode 5 disposed on the color filter substrate 13b side. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the common electrode 5 is disposed on the TFT array substrate 14 side. A liquid crystal panel such as an IPS liquid crystal panel may also be used. In this case, the protective film 35 is disposed between the color filter 36 and the alignment film 6.

  In the fifth embodiment of the present invention, portions different from the first embodiment of the present invention are described, and descriptions of the same or corresponding portions are omitted. The fifth embodiment of the present invention can be combined with the second to fourth embodiments of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 3 Glass substrate 6 Alignment film 7 Liquid crystal 13a, 13b Color filter substrate 14 Thin film transistor array substrate 15 Liquid crystal panel 16 Liquid crystal module 20 Laser oscillator 23 Variable aperture device 28 XY table 32 Pixel with a bright spot defect 36 Color filters 37a-37d Liquid crystal display device Bright spot defect darkening device 38 Control device for darkening device

Claims (16)

Among the pixels of the liquid crystal display device in which liquid crystal is sealed between the color filter substrate and the thin film transistor array substrate, light is irradiated to pixels having a bright spot defect, and at least a part of the color filter substrate is altered. A method of darkening a bright spot defect of a liquid crystal display device that reduces light transmittance,
Irradiating the pixel having the bright spot defect with the light with a smaller spot size than the pixel having the bright spot defect;
Scanning the light in a pixel having the bright spot defect by moving the light relative to the liquid crystal display device, and
The step of scanning with light continuously increases the energy of light irradiated per unit area on a pixel having a bright spot defect to be irradiated while scanning from the start of scanning , and reaches a predetermined energy. Then , a method of darkening a luminescent spot defect in a liquid crystal display device, comprising a step of scanning the remaining pixel region while maintaining the energy . The energy of light irradiated per unit area on a pixel having a bright spot defect to be irradiated is continuously increased while scanning from the start of scanning, and when the energy reaches a predetermined energy, the energy is maintained and maintained. The step of scanning the pixel area of
A step of changing a spot size of light irradiated on the pixel having the bright spot defect by changing a quantity of blocking light emitted from the light source and blocking light emitted from the light source. The method for darkening a bright spot defect in a liquid crystal display device according to claim 1. The energy of light irradiated per unit area on a pixel having a bright spot defect to be irradiated is continuously increased while scanning from the start of scanning, and when the energy reaches a predetermined energy, the energy is maintained and maintained. The step of scanning the pixel area of
The method for darkening a bright spot defect in a liquid crystal display device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a step of changing energy per unit time of light emitted from the light source. The energy of light irradiated per unit area on a pixel having a bright spot defect to be irradiated is continuously increased while scanning from the start of scanning, and when the energy reaches a predetermined energy, the energy is maintained and maintained. The step of scanning the pixel area of
4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of changing an attenuation amount of light emitted from the light source by a variable attenuator installed on an optical path between the light source and the liquid crystal display device. A method for darkening a bright spot defect in a liquid crystal display device according to claim 1. The energy of light irradiated per unit area on a pixel having a bright spot defect to be irradiated is continuously increased while scanning from the start of scanning, and when the energy reaches a predetermined energy, the energy is maintained and maintained. The step of scanning the pixel area of
5. The bright spot defect of a liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, further comprising a step of changing a scanning speed of light applied to the pixel having the bright spot defect. 6. Darkening method. The color filter substrate has a glass substrate, a color filter disposed on the glass substrate, and an alignment film disposed on the color filter,
6. The light transmittance is lowered by irradiating light to change at least one of the glass substrate, the color filter, and the alignment film. 4. A method for darkening a bright spot defect in a liquid crystal display device according to the item. The color filter substrate has a glass substrate, a color filter disposed on the glass substrate, a protective film disposed on the color filter, and an alignment film disposed on the protective film,
6. The light transmittance is lowered by irradiating light to change at least one of the glass substrate, the color filter, the protective film, and the alignment film. The method for darkening a bright spot defect in a liquid crystal display device according to any one of the above.   8. The bright spot defect of a liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein a light source of light irradiated to a pixel having a bright spot defect is a laser, a light emitting diode, or a lamp. Darkening method. Among the pixels of the liquid crystal display device in which liquid crystal is sealed between the color filter substrate and the thin film transistor array substrate, light is irradiated to pixels having a bright spot defect, and at least a part of the color filter substrate is altered. A light spot defect darkening device for a liquid crystal display device that reduces the light transmittance,
A light source;
A spot shaping device for shaping the light emitted from the light source into a spot size smaller than the pixel having the bright spot defect and irradiating the pixel having the bright spot defect;
In order to scan the light irradiated to the pixel having the bright spot defect within the pixel having the bright spot defect, the light irradiated to the pixel having the bright spot defect is relative to the liquid crystal display device. A moving device to be moved to,
While scanning the light irradiated to the pixel having the bright spot defect, the energy of the light irradiated per unit area on the pixel having the bright spot defect to be irradiated is more continuously scanned than at the start of scanning. A control device that controls to maintain a constant energy when a predetermined energy is reached ;
Bright spot defect darkening device for liquid crystal display devices. The spot shaping device has a light shielding device that blocks a part of the light emitted from the light source,
10. The control device according to claim 9, wherein the control unit changes a spot size of light applied to a pixel having a bright spot defect by changing an amount of blocking the light emitted from the light source. 10. Bright spot defect darkening device for liquid crystal display devices.   11. The dark spot defect darkening device for a liquid crystal display device according to claim 9, wherein the control device changes the energy per unit time of the light emitted from the light source. A variable attenuator installed on the optical path between the light source and the liquid crystal display device of the light emitted from the light source;
The bright spot defect darkening device for a liquid crystal display device according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the control device changes the attenuation amount of the light in the variable attenuator.   13. The bright spot defect of a liquid crystal display device according to claim 9, wherein the control device changes a scanning speed of light applied to a pixel having a bright spot defect. Darkening device. The color filter substrate has a glass substrate, a color filter disposed on the glass substrate, and an alignment film disposed on the color filter,
The light transmittance is lowered by irradiating with light to change at least one of the glass substrate, the color filter, and the alignment film. The dark spot darkening device for bright spot defects of the liquid crystal display device according to the item. The color filter substrate has a glass substrate, a color filter disposed on the glass substrate, a protective film disposed on the color filter, and an alignment film disposed on the protective film,
14. The light transmittance is lowered by irradiating light to change at least one of the glass substrate, the color filter, the protective film, and the alignment film. The dark spot darkening device for bright spot defects of the liquid crystal display device according to any one of the above.   The bright spot defect darkening device for a liquid crystal display device according to any one of claims 9 to 15, wherein the light source is a laser, a light emitting diode, or a lamp.

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