JP5983852B1 - Light control film and method of manufacturing light control film - Google Patents

Abstract

When a light control film is formed by the FFS method, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a malfunctioning region due to disconnection of a linear electrode, and further reduce luminance unevenness. In a light control film 10 in which a liquid crystal layer 14 is sandwiched between first and second laminates 13 and 12 and the transmitted light is controlled by controlling the orientation of liquid crystal molecules 14A related to the liquid crystal layer 14. In the laminated body 13, a transparent electrode 22A, an insulating layer 23, and a linear electrode 22B are sequentially formed on one surface of the transparent substrate 21A, and between the transparent electrode 22A and the linear electrode 22B of the first laminated body 13 A bridge for controlling the alignment of the liquid crystal molecules 14A by the electric field and short-circuiting the adjacent linear electrodes 22B is provided. [Selection] Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a light control film that is attached to a window or the like of a passenger car to control the transmission of extraneous light.

  Conventionally, for example, various devices relating to a light control film that is attached to a window to control the transmission of external light have been proposed (Patent Documents 1 and 2). One such light control film uses liquid crystal. The light control film using the liquid crystal is produced by sandwiching a liquid crystal material with a transparent film material on which a transparent electrode is produced, and producing the liquid crystal cell with a linear polarizing plate. As a result, in this light control film, the orientation of the liquid crystal is changed by changing the electric field applied to the liquid crystal, thereby blocking or transmitting the extraneous light, and further changing the amount of transmitted light. To control.

  Various driving methods proposed for the liquid crystal display panel can be applied to driving the liquid crystal cell. Specifically, for example, a TN (Twisted Nematic) system, an IPS (In-Place-Switching) system, A driving method such as a VA (Virtual Alignment) method can be applied. However, the light control film has a feature that it can be seen from various directions by being attached to, for example, a window glass. Accordingly, it is considered preferable to drive by the IPS system with little viewing angle dependency.

  Of these IPS systems, the FFS (fringe field switching) system can increase the transmittance, which is considered preferable when applied to driving a liquid crystal cell in this type of light control film. Here, the FFS method has a configuration in which a driving transparent electrode is collectively produced on one of a pair of substrates sandwiching a liquid crystal layer. In the FFS method, a transparent electrode is formed on the entire surface of one of the substrates, and then a linear electrode is formed at a constant pitch with an insulating layer interposed between the transparent electrode and the linear electrode on the entire surface. The alignment of the liquid crystal is controlled by a so-called lateral electric field which is an in-plane electric field on the surface of the substrate generated in step (b).

  Here, when a linear electrode is produced on the entire transparent electrode with an insulating layer interposed therebetween, a lateral electric field for alignment of liquid crystal is not sufficiently generated on the linear electrode. . Therefore, in the FFS method, when the width of the linear electrode is increased, a region where the lateral electric field is not sufficiently generated is increased and the transmittance is decreased. Thus, in order to obtain a high transmittance in the FFS method, it is necessary to produce a linear electrode with a fine width of an electrode width of 10 μm or less.

  Further, in the FFS method, a lateral electric field for alignment of liquid crystal is not sufficiently formed even at a central portion between adjacent linear electrodes. As a result, in the FFS method, when the interval between the linear electrodes is widened, a region where the transverse electric field is not sufficiently generated increases between the linear electrodes and the transmittance decreases. Thus, in order to obtain a high transmittance by the FFS method, the distance between the linear electrodes must be 10 μm or less.

  By the way, when producing a light control film by the FFS method in this way, it is necessary to dispose a linear electrode having a fine width of 10 μm or less in an area where light control of a large area is intended with an interval of 10 μm or less. In this case, in the light control film, when the linear electrode is locally disconnected, the driving power is not supplied on the distal end side (the side farther from the power source) than the disconnected portion. As a result, it becomes difficult to produce an electric field for driving a liquid crystal and perform dimming at such a portion, thereby causing a problem of a malfunctioning region. In particular, in the light control film, there is a problem that an operation failure region where light control cannot be performed due to disconnection occurs due to the large area by controlling light in a large area.

  In the light control film using the FFS method, when linear electrodes having a fine width of 10 μm or less are arranged in a large area with an interval of 10 μm or less, the linear electrodes are arranged side by side so as to extend in one direction. However, in this case, it becomes difficult to form an electric field uniformly in each part due to a voltage drop due to the resistance of the linear electrode, and as a result, there is a risk of uneven brightness in the light control film.

JP 03-47392 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 08-184273

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and in the case where a light control film is configured by the FFS method, it prevents occurrence of a malfunctioning region due to disconnection of a linear electrode and further reduces luminance unevenness. With the goal.

  The present inventor has made extensive studies to solve the above problems, and has come to the idea that a bridge for short-circuiting adjacent linear electrodes is provided, thereby completing the present invention.

  Specifically, the present invention provides the following.

(1) In a light control film that sandwiches a liquid crystal layer between first and second laminates and controls transmitted light by controlling the orientation of liquid crystal molecules related to the liquid crystal layer,
In the first laminate, a transparent electrode, an insulating layer, and a linear electrode are sequentially formed on one surface of the transparent substrate,
Controlling the orientation of the liquid crystal molecules by an electric field between the transparent electrode and the linear electrode of the first laminate,
A light control film provided with a bridge for short-circuiting adjacent linear electrodes.

  According to (1), the drive power supply can be mutually transmitted and received between the adjacent linear electrodes by this bridge, so that it is difficult to supply the drive power even when the linear electrodes are disconnected. This can effectively prevent the occurrence of malfunctioning areas. In addition, by providing the bridge, the voltage of the driving power source in each part of the linear electrode can be made uniform, thereby reducing luminance unevenness.

(2) According to (1)
The bridge is a light control film formed by a member of the linear electrode.

  According to (2), it is possible to produce a bridge without increasing the number of processes by effectively using the production process of the linear electrode.

(3) In (1) or (2),
The light control film in which the bridge was repeatedly provided in the extending direction of the linear electrode at intervals of 10 mm to 100 mm.

  According to (3), it is possible to effectively avoid a decrease in transmittance due to the provision of the bridge, and to effectively avoid the generation of interference fringes due to the bridge.

(4) a first laminate production step of producing a first laminate by sequentially producing a transparent electrode, an insulating layer, a linear electrode, and an alignment layer on a substrate made of a transparent film material;
A second laminate production step of producing an alignment layer on a substrate made of a transparent film material to produce a second laminate;
A laminating step of laminating the first and second laminates with a liquid crystal layer interposed therebetween to produce a liquid crystal cell,
The first laminate manufacturing step includes
A production step of a transparent electrode for producing the transparent electrode;
A step of producing an insulating layer for producing the insulating layer;
A step of producing a linear electrode for producing the linear electrode,
The production process of the linear electrode is as follows:
A conductive layer manufacturing step of forming a conductive layer on the insulating layer;
Comprising a patterning step of patterning the conductive layer to produce the linear electrode;
The manufacturing method of the light control film which forms the bridge | bridging which short-circuits the said adjacent linear electrode by the patterning in the said patterning process.

  According to (4), the drive power supply can be mutually transmitted and received between the adjacent linear electrodes by this bridge, so that it is difficult to supply the drive power even when the linear electrodes are disconnected. This can effectively prevent the occurrence of malfunctioning areas. In addition, by providing the bridge, the voltage of the driving power source in each part of the linear electrode can be made uniform, thereby reducing luminance unevenness.

(5) a first laminate production step of producing a first laminate by sequentially producing a transparent electrode, an insulating layer, a linear electrode, and an alignment layer on a substrate made of a transparent film material;
A second laminate production step of producing an alignment layer on a substrate made of a transparent film material to produce a second laminate;
A laminating step of laminating the first and second laminates with a liquid crystal layer interposed therebetween to produce a liquid crystal cell,
The first laminate manufacturing step includes
A production step of a transparent electrode for producing the transparent electrode;
A step of producing an insulating layer for producing the insulating layer;
A step of producing a linear electrode for producing the linear electrode,
The production process of the linear electrode is as follows:
A conductive layer manufacturing step of forming a conductive layer on the insulating layer;
A spacer production step for producing a spacer for regulating the thickness of the liquid crystal layer in the conductive layer;
A patterning step of patterning the conductive layer and forming the linear electrode so that a portion masked by the spacer is a bridge that short-circuits the adjacent linear electrode, and a method of manufacturing a light control film .

  According to (5), the drive power supply can be mutually transmitted and received between the adjacent linear electrodes by this bridge, so that it is difficult to supply the drive power even when the linear electrodes are disconnected. This can effectively prevent the occurrence of malfunctioning areas. In addition, by providing the bridge, the voltage of the driving power source in each part of the linear electrode can be made uniform, thereby reducing luminance unevenness. Moreover, since a bridge can be produced using a spacer as a mask, a light control film can be produced efficiently by effectively avoiding a decrease in transmittance.

  According to the present invention, when the light control film is formed by the FFS method, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a malfunctioning region due to the disconnection of the linear electrode, and to further reduce luminance unevenness.

It is a group sectional view showing the light control film concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the lower side laminated body in the light control film of FIG. It is a top view which shows the relationship between a linear electrode and a bridge | bridging. It is a flowchart which shows the manufacturing process of a light control film. It is a flowchart which shows the upper side laminated body preparation process in the manufacturing process of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the lower side laminated body preparation process in the manufacturing process of FIG. It is a figure where it uses for description of the manufacturing process of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the lower side laminated body preparation process in the light control film which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure where it uses for description of the manufacturing process of FIG. It is a figure where it uses for description of the lower laminated body in the light control film which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure where it uses for description of the other example of FIG. It is a figure where it uses for description of the lower laminated body in the light control film which concerns on 4th Embodiment of this invention.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a light control film according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This light control film 10 is formed by a film shape. The light control film 10 is a light control film that controls transmitted light using liquid crystal, and a liquid crystal material is formed by a lower laminate 13 and an upper laminate 12 that are first and second laminates in the form of a film, respectively. The liquid crystal cell 15 is produced by sandwiching the liquid crystal cell 15, and the liquid crystal cell 15 is produced by sandwiching the liquid crystal cell 15 by the linearly polarizing plates 16 and 17. Here, the liquid crystal cell 15 is a transverse electric field type liquid crystal cell that drives the liquid crystal molecules 14A related to the liquid crystal layer 14 by the FFS method, and the linear polarizing plates 16 and 17 are arranged in a crossed Nicols arrangement. As a result, in the lower laminated body 13, the transparent electrode 22A according to the FFS method is formed on the entire surface of the base 21A, the transparent linear electrode 22B is formed with the insulating layer 23 interposed therebetween, and then the alignment layer 24A. Is provided. In the upper laminate 12, the alignment layer 24B is provided on the base material 21B.

  The light control film 10 is provided with a spacer 27 in the upper laminate 12 and / or the lower laminate 13 for keeping the thickness of the liquid crystal layer 14 constant. The linear polarizing plates 16 and 17 are respectively provided with retardation films 18 and 19 for optical compensation on the liquid crystal cell 15 side. The retardation films 18 and 19 may be omitted as necessary. Thus, the light control film 10 controls the transmission of incident light by changing the orientation direction of the liquid crystal molecules 14A related to the liquid crystal layer 14 by changing the applied voltage between the electrodes 22A and 22B. And is configured to switch states. The light control film 10 is provided with a protective layer such as a hard coat layer on the surface opposite to the liquid crystal cell 15 of the linear polarizing plates 16 and 17.

  As the base materials 21A and 21B, various transparent film materials having flexibility applicable to the liquid crystal cell 15 can be applied. In this embodiment, a film made of polycarbonate or the like in which hard coat layers are formed on both surfaces. The material is applied. The electrodes 22A and 22B can be widely applied in various configurations that are perceived as transparent. In this embodiment, a transparent conductive layer made of ITO (Indium Tin Oxide), which is a transparent electrode material, is formed on the entire surface of the base 21A. Thus, the electrode 22A is produced. Similarly, after forming a transparent conductive layer made of ITO on the entire surface of the base 21A, patterning is performed to produce the linear electrode 22B.

  As the insulating layer 23, various transparent insulating materials applicable to this type of liquid crystal cell can be applied, and various inorganic materials and organic materials can be applied.

  For the alignment layers 24A and 24B, various material layers applicable to the alignment layer such as polyimide are applied, and the surface of the material layer is formed by forming a fine line-shaped uneven shape by rubbing using a rubbing roll. . Instead of the alignment layer formed by the rubbing process, the alignment layer may be formed by forming a fine line-shaped uneven shape formed by the rubbing process by the shaping process, or by using the photo-alignment layer. Good.

  Various liquid crystal materials applied to this type of light control film can be widely applied to the liquid crystal layer 14.

  Although various resin materials can be widely applied, the spacer 27 is made of a photoresist in this embodiment. In the liquid crystal cell 15, a sealing agent 25 is arranged in a frame shape surrounding the liquid crystal layer 14. The sealing agent 25 prevents leakage of liquid crystal related to the liquid crystal layer 14, and furthermore, the upper laminate 12 and the lower laminate 13. Are held together. Here, as the sealing agent 25, various materials capable of preventing the liquid crystal from leaking and holding the upper laminated body 12 and the lower laminated body 13 together can be applied. In this embodiment, for example, an epoxy resin is used. A thermosetting resin by an agent, an ultraviolet curable resin by an acrylic resin agent, a curable resin cured by heat and ultraviolet rays, or the like is applied.

  The linear polarizing plates 16 and 17 are so-called sheet polarizers, and after impregnating polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) with iodine or the like, an optical functional layer that performs an optical function as a polarizer is formed by stretching. The optical functional layer is sandwiched between base materials made of a transparent film material such as triacetyl cellulose).

[Configuration of linear electrode]
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the electrodes 22A and 22B in the lower laminate 13. In this embodiment, the electrode 22A on the base 21A side is formed by forming a transparent conductive layer made of ITO on the entire surface of the base 21A, and power for driving is supplied through a power supply line (not shown). Further, in the lower laminate 13, an insulating layer 23 is formed so as to cover the entire surface of the electrode 22A. The lower laminate 13 is provided with a power supply line 22BA to the linear electrode 22B at the end of the base 21A so as to extend along the long side of the base 21A, for example. Here, the power supply line 22BA is formed of a metal material film having a small resistance value. The lower laminated body 13 is provided with linear electrodes 22B formed by patterning a transparent conductive layer with ITO at regular intervals so as to extend from the power supply line 22BA in a direction orthogonal to the power supply line 22BA. Driving power is supplied from the power supply line 22BA to the linear electrode 22B. The linear electrodes 22B are formed with a fine width of 10 μm or less and an interval of 10 μm or less.

  As a result, in the light control film 10, when the linear electrode 22B is disconnected at the base of the power supply line 22BA, the liquid crystal material can be driven in all the portions where the electric field for driving is produced by the disconnected linear electrode 22B. As a result, a malfunctioning region occurs. Further, the resistance of the linear electrode 22B as viewed from the electron microscope supply end increases as the distance from the base portion of the power supply line 22BA increases, so that the voltage of the drive power supply decreases on the tip side. May occur. In the light control film 10, the light distribution of the liquid crystal material is controlled by the alternating electric field by applying an alternating power source in which the polarity of the driving power source is switched at regular time intervals to the electrodes 22 </ b> A and 22 </ b> B. As a result, the voltage of the driving power source is lowered on the tip side of the linear electrode 22B due to the resistance value of the linear electrode 22B, and luminance unevenness occurs.

  Note that, even in the electrode 22A on the base 21A side, a power supply line may be provided to supply driving power in the same manner as the linear electrode 22B. In addition to the power supply line 22BA, the power supply lines of the linear electrodes 22B may be arranged along the long side on the other side, and more than three may be arranged at a constant pitch. Of course, it may be produced so as to extend along the short side. When the number of the power supply lines 22BA is increased in this way, the resistance value can be reduced by shortening the length from the base portion of the power supply line 22BA to the tip side of the linear electrode 22B, thereby reducing the luminance value. Unevenness can be reduced. Further, it is possible to reduce the size of a malfunctioning area caused by disconnection.

  Further, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, a bridge B that short-circuits adjacent linear electrodes 22B is provided in the linear electrode 22B. When the bridge B is provided in this way, the drive power can be transmitted and received between the adjacent linear electrodes 22B by the bridge B, so that it is difficult to supply the drive power even if a disconnection occurs. Can be prevented from occurring, thereby effectively avoiding the occurrence of malfunctioning areas. Further, by providing the bridge B in this manner, the voltage of the driving power source in each part of the linear electrode 22B can be made uniform, thereby reducing the luminance unevenness.

  Here, in FIG. 3A, a pair of adjacent linear electrodes 22B is sequentially formed, and an odd-numbered pair and an even-numbered pair are each provided with a bridge B that short-circuits only the adjacent linear electrodes 22B. FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing a case in which an odd-numbered pair of bridges B and an even-numbered pair of bridges B are alternately provided in a direction in which the linear electrodes 22B extend at regular intervals. This is the case. In the example of FIG. 3A, the bridge B is provided in the continuous direction of the linear electrode 22B with a pitch TW = 1 mm. Further, in the extending direction of the linear electrode 22B, the bridge B is provided so that the repeated pitch TH is 1 mm between the pair of adjacent linear electrodes 22B. Here, the bridge B is manufactured with a width which is a length in the extending direction of the linear electrode 22 being 5 μm or more and 15 μm or less.

  On the other hand, FIG. 3 (B) is a diagram schematically showing the case where the bridge B for short-circuiting only the adjacent linear electrodes 22B is provided, and the repeated pitch in the continuous direction of the linear electrodes 22B. The TW is set to 1 mm, and the position where the bridge B is provided is sequentially shifted in the linear electrode extending direction in the extending direction of the linear electrode. In FIG. 3B, regarding the pair of adjacent linear electrodes 22B, the pitch TH of the arrangement of the bridges B in the extending direction of the linear electrodes 22B is 1 mm.

  Note that the bridge B is provided almost uniformly on the entire surface of the light control film 10, so that it is possible to effectively avoid the occurrence of a malfunctioning region due to disconnection, and to further reduce luminance unevenness. The bridges B may be arranged regularly or irregularly. In addition, in the location which provided the bridge | bridging B, the transmittance | permeability falls locally because the horizontal electric field used for light control cannot be formed between lower electrode 22A. However, in the case where the bridge B is manufactured with a length in the extending direction of the linear electrode 22B of 5 μm or more and 15 μm or less as in this embodiment, such a portion where the transmittance is locally reduced is extremely limited. Thus, a reduction in transmittance due to the provision of the bridge B can be effectively avoided.

  In the light control film, there is no restriction on the area for controlling the transmitted light depending on the size of the pixels as in the liquid crystal display panel, and the transmitted light in a wide area is controlled. As a result, the higher the number of bridges B arranged at a higher density, the more uniform the voltage of the drive power supply at each part of the linear electrode 22B can be reduced. However, since the transmittance is reduced at the site of the bridge B, if the number is arranged too much, the transmittance is significantly reduced. In addition, interference fringes may occur. Therefore, the light control film has an interval of 10 mm to 100 mm that is at least several times the size of one pixel in the liquid crystal display panel in the extending direction of the linear electrodes between the linear electrodes (in FIG. In this case, the bridge B is repeatedly arranged, and this also effectively avoids a decrease in transmittance due to the provision of the bridge B, and further effectively avoids generation of interference fringes due to the bridge. Reduce unevenness.

  Further, the bridge B may be produced so as to short-circuit only adjacent linear electrodes as in this embodiment, or may be produced so as to short-circuit three or more continuous linear electrodes, and short-circuited. The number of linear electrodes can be variously set.

〔Manufacturing process〕
FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the manufacturing process of the light control film. In the manufacturing process of the light control film, the upper laminated body 12 and the lower laminated body 13 are produced in the upper laminated body producing process SP2 and the lower laminated body producing process SP3, respectively. In the stacking step SP4, the upper stacked body 12 and the lower stacked body 13 are stacked with the liquid crystal layer 14 interposed therebetween, and then integrated with a sealant 25 to manufacture a liquid crystal cell. In the manufacturing process of the light control film, the liquid crystal cell thus prepared is laminated and integrated with the linear polarizing plate to prepare a light control film.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing in detail the upper laminate manufacturing process SP2. In the upper laminate manufacturing process SP2 (SP11), the alignment layer manufacturing process SP12 applies the coating liquid related to the alignment layer 24B to the base material 21B, and then dries and cures the material to form the alignment layer 24B. A layer is formed. In this manufacturing process, a fine line-shaped uneven shape is formed on the surface of the alignment layer material layer by a rubbing process using a rubbing roll, whereby the alignment layer 24B is manufactured, and thus the upper laminate 12 is manufactured.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing in detail the lower laminate manufacturing process SP3. In the lower laminate manufacturing step SP3 (SP21), in the electrode manufacturing step SP22, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, a transparent electrode 22A made of ITO is formed on the entire surface of the base material 21A by sputtering. Is done. Subsequently, in this manufacturing process, as shown in FIG. 7C, the insulating layer 23 is manufactured in the insulating layer manufacturing process SP23. In this insulating layer manufacturing step, the insulating layer 23 is manufactured by, for example, coating, drying, and curing of a coating liquid according to the material applied to the insulating layer 23.

  Subsequently, in this manufacturing process, the linear electrode 22B is manufactured in the electrode manufacturing process SP24. More specifically, in this electrode manufacturing step SP24, a linear electrode is formed on the entire surface of the base material 21A by sputtering using a sputtering apparatus in the conductive layer manufacturing step SP24-1, as shown in FIG. The conductive layer 26 according to 22B is made of ITO. Further, by the patterning in the subsequent patterning step SP24-2, as shown in FIG. 7E, the linear electrode 22B and the bridge B are manufactured. Thus, in this embodiment, the bridge B can be manufactured without increasing the number of processes by effectively using the process of manufacturing the linear electrode.

  That is, in the patterning step SP24-2, a photoresist is applied to the entire surface of the conductive layer and dried, followed by exposure processing and development processing. In the patterning step SP24-2, as shown in FIG. 7F, the conductive layer is patterned by setting the mask in this exposure process, and the linear electrode 22B and the bridge B are produced.

  When the linear electrode 22B is manufactured in this manner, this manufacturing process is performed in the spacer manufacturing process SP25 by applying a photoresist to the entire surface and drying it, and then exposing the spacer 27 by exposure processing and development processing using a mask. Make it. Here, in this embodiment, the spacer 27 is manufactured at the position where the bridge B is manufactured, thereby reducing the deterioration in transmittance due to the manufacturing of the bridge B.

  Then, in alignment layer preparation process SP26, the material liquid of alignment layer 24A is formed by applying the coating liquid which concerns on alignment layer 24A, and drying and hardening. In this manufacturing process, a fine line-shaped uneven shape is formed on the surface of the alignment layer material layer by a rubbing process using a rubbing roll, and the alignment layer 24A is manufactured, whereby the lower laminate 13 is manufactured. .

  According to the above configuration, by providing a bridge for short-circuiting adjacent linear electrodes, it is possible to transmit and receive drive power between the adjacent linear electrodes by this bridge, and as a result, when the linear electrode is disconnected. Even in such a case, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a location where it is difficult to supply the driving power, and to effectively avoid the occurrence of a malfunctioning region. In addition, by providing the bridge, the voltage of the driving power source in each part of the linear electrode can be made uniform, thereby reducing luminance unevenness.

  In addition, by forming this bridge with a member of a linear electrode, and further by patterning at the time of manufacturing the linear electrode, the number of steps can be increased by effectively using the manufacturing process of the linear electrode. Bridges can be made without increasing.

  Furthermore, by repeatedly providing bridges in the extension direction of the linear electrodes at intervals of 10 mm or more and 100 mm or less, it is possible to effectively avoid a decrease in transmittance due to the provision of the bridges and avoid the occurrence of sufficiently malfunctioning areas. In addition, luminance unevenness can be reduced.

[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the manufacturing process of the light control film according to the second embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment except that the lower laminate manufacturing process shown in FIG. 8 is different.

  In the lower laminate manufacturing process, a bridge is manufactured using a spacer as a mask. That is, in the lower laminate manufacturing process SP31, in the electrode manufacturing process SP32, as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the transparent electrode 22A made of ITO is manufactured on the entire surface of the base 21A by sputtering. Subsequently, in this manufacturing process, as shown in FIG. 9C, the insulating layer 23 is manufactured in the insulating layer manufacturing process SP33.

  Subsequently, in this manufacturing process, in the conductive layer manufacturing process SP34, the metal material related to the linear electrode 22B is deposited on the entire surface of the base 21A by sputtering using a sputtering apparatus as shown in FIG. 9D. Thus, the conductive layer 26 is produced.

  In this manufacturing process, in the spacer manufacturing process SP35, after the photoresist is coated on the entire surface and dried, exposure and development processes using a mask are performed, as shown in FIG. Is made.

  Subsequently, in this manufacturing process, as shown in FIG. 9F, the linear electrode 22B is produced by patterning in the patterning process SP36. More specifically, after applying a photoresist, it is dried, and a portion corresponding to the linear electrodes or a portion corresponding to the space between the linear electrodes is selectively exposed using a mask. Then, after selectively removing the unexposed part or the exposed part of the photoresist, an etching process is performed, thereby producing the linear electrode 22B.

  When the linear electrode is manufactured in this way, in the portion where the spacer 27 is manufactured, the spacer 27 functions as a mask and the conductive layer 26 can be prevented from being removed by the etching process. Thereby, in this embodiment, the bridge B is also produced. In this way, the spacer 27 is formed with a diameter of 15 μm, so that the adjacent linear electrodes can be reliably short-circuited even when the masks related to the linear electrodes are displaced in any direction. The In this case, when the width of the linear electrode is equal to the interval between the linear electrodes, the spacer 27 is manufactured with a diameter that is three times or more the width of the linear electrode, and the mask for the linear electrode is Even when displaced in the direction, the adjacent linear electrodes can be reliably short-circuited.

  In this manufacturing process, subsequently, in the alignment layer manufacturing process SP37, the coating layer related to the alignment layer 24A is applied, dried, and cured, whereby the material layer of the alignment layer 24A is formed. In this manufacturing process, a fine line-shaped uneven shape is formed on the surface of the alignment layer material layer by a rubbing process using a rubbing roll, and the alignment layer 24A is manufactured, whereby the lower laminate 13 is manufactured. .

  According to this embodiment, after producing a conductive layer related to a linear electrode, a spacer is produced, and then a linear electrode is produced by etching to produce a bridge using the spacer as a mask. The manufacturing process can be simplified.

  That is, when the lower laminate is manufactured according to the first embodiment, the transmittance is deteriorated between the bridge B portion and the spacer portion. This makes it possible to prevent the deterioration of the transmittance by producing a spacer at the site of the bridge B, but in this case, the alignment of the mask at the time of producing the spacer becomes complicated, and the alignment of the mask is shifted. The transmittance will decrease.

  However, as in this embodiment, if a spacer is produced in advance and a bridge is produced using this spacer as an etching mask, the alignment of the mask during the production of the spacer can be greatly simplified. The manufacturing process can be simplified.

[Third Embodiment]
FIG. 10: is a figure where it uses for description of the lower laminated body which concerns on the light control film which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. This embodiment is configured in the same way as the first embodiment or the second embodiment described above except that the lower laminate 33 according to FIG. 10 is applied.

  Here, the lower laminated body 33 extends in the repeating direction of the linear electrode 22B, and is collected at a fixed portion in the extending direction of the linear electrode 22B so as to cross all the linear electrodes 22B in the repeating direction. Thus, a bridge B is produced, and thereby a linear electrode by the bridge B is produced. Further, the linear electrode formed by the bridge B is formed in the extending direction of the linear electrode 22B with a constant interval of 10 mm to 100 mm or with an irregular interval, and is repeatedly provided with an electrode width of 5 μm to 15 μm. .

  The lower laminated body 33 is formed with an outer peripheral electrode 34 in a frame shape so as to surround the outermost periphery, and driving power is supplied to the linear electrode 22B via the outer peripheral electrode 34. Further, a linear electrode formed by the bridge B is formed so as to extend at both ends, and the linear electrode formed by the bridge B is directly connected to the outer peripheral electrode 34, whereby the driving electrode is directly connected to the electrode formed by the bridge B via the outer peripheral electrode 34. Power is supplied. Here, the outer peripheral electrode is manufactured by applying a metal material such as copper or aluminum, which can have a resistance value smaller than that of ITO. In this case, the electrode by the bridge B may be manufactured at the same time as the peripheral electrode is manufactured by applying the metal material of the peripheral electrode. Alternatively, ITO may be applied to the outer peripheral electrode 34, and the outer peripheral electrode 34 may be formed simultaneously with the linear electrode 22B and the bridge B.

  Thereby, in this embodiment, it is configured such that luminance unevenness can be reduced more reliably.

  As shown in FIG. 10, even when the outer peripheral electrode 34 is made of a metal material having a small resistance value, it is difficult to make the outer peripheral electrode 34 on the base material and ensure a sufficient thickness. When the light control film has a large area, the influence of the voltage drop at the outer peripheral electrode 34 cannot be ignored, and there is a risk of uneven brightness.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 11 in comparison with FIG. 10, the luminance unevenness can be reduced by supplying power to the outer peripheral electrode 34 from a plurality of locations. In FIG. 11, each power supply system is indicated by an arrow.

[Fourth Embodiment]
FIG. 12: is a figure where it uses for description of the lower laminated body which concerns on the light control film which concerns on 4th Embodiment of this invention. This embodiment is configured in the same manner as the first to third embodiments described above except that the configuration according to FIG. 12 is different.

  In this embodiment, adjacent linear electrodes 22 are aligned in the extending direction of the linear electrode 22B, and are formed to meander in a triangular wave shape. As a result, by applying an electric field, a portion where the liquid crystal molecules 14A are aligned in the counterclockwise direction indicated by the arrow A and a portion where the liquid crystal molecules 14A are aligned in the clockwise direction as indicated by the arrow B are formed. A light control film is produced by multi-domain. In this embodiment, the bridge B is arranged at the boundary between the domains related to the multi-domain.

  At this domain boundary, the transmittance is reduced, and the bridge B portion is also a portion where the transmittance is reduced. With this arrangement, if the bridge B is arranged at the domain boundary, the transmittance is reduced. An increase in the area can be prevented, and as a result, a decrease in the transmittance of the entire light control film can be prevented and luminance unevenness can be reduced.

[Other Embodiments]
The specific configuration suitable for the implementation of the present invention has been described in detail above, but the present invention is combined with the above-described embodiments and further modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the present invention. can do.

  That is, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the linear electrode is formed in a straight line has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention is widely applied to a case where a multi-domain is formed by bending the linear electrode. can do.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Light control film 12 Upper side laminated body 13 Lower side laminated body 14 Liquid crystal layer 14A Liquid crystal molecule 15 Liquid crystal cell 16, 17 Linearly polarizing plate 18, 19 Phase difference film 21A, 21B Base material 22A Electrode 22B Linear electrode 22BA Power supply line 23 Insulating layer 24A, 24B Alignment layer 25 Sealant 26 Conductive layer 27 Spacer

Claims (5)

In the light control film that sandwiches the liquid crystal layer between the first and second laminates and controls the transmitted light by controlling the orientation of the liquid crystal molecules related to the liquid crystal layer,
In the first laminate, a transparent electrode, an insulating layer, and a linear electrode are sequentially formed on one surface of the transparent substrate,
Controlling the orientation of the liquid crystal molecules by an electric field between the transparent electrode and the linear electrode of the first laminate,
A light control film, wherein a bridge for short-circuiting the adjacent linear electrodes at least in a portion excluding both ends in the extending direction of the linear electrodes is repeatedly provided in the extending direction of the linear electrodes . The light control film according to claim 1, wherein the bridge is formed by a member of the linear electrode. The light control film of Claim 1. The said bridge | bridging was repeatedly provided in the extension direction of the said linear electrode by the space | interval of 10 mm or more and 100 mm or less. A first laminate production step of producing a first laminate by sequentially producing a transparent electrode, an insulating layer, a linear electrode, and an orientation layer on a substrate made of a transparent film material;
A second laminate production step of producing an alignment layer on a substrate made of a transparent film material to produce a second laminate;
A laminating step of laminating the first and second laminates with a liquid crystal layer interposed therebetween to produce a liquid crystal cell,
The first laminate manufacturing step includes
A production step of a transparent electrode for producing the transparent electrode;
A step of producing an insulating layer for producing the insulating layer;
A step of producing a linear electrode for producing the linear electrode,
The production process of the linear electrode is as follows:
A conductive layer manufacturing step of forming a conductive layer on the insulating layer;
Comprising a patterning step of patterning the conductive layer to produce the linear electrode;
Wherein the patterning in the patterning step, at least the linear the linear repeating electrodes bridges for short-circuiting the extending direction of the linear electrodes formed to the light control film adjacent at the site except the both end portions of the extending direction of the electrode Production method. A first laminate production step of producing a first laminate by sequentially producing a transparent electrode, an insulating layer, a linear electrode, and an orientation layer on a substrate made of a transparent film material;
A second laminate production step of producing an alignment layer on a substrate made of a transparent film material to produce a second laminate;
A laminating step of laminating the first and second laminates with a liquid crystal layer interposed therebetween to produce a liquid crystal cell,
The first laminate manufacturing step includes
A production step of a transparent electrode for producing the transparent electrode;
A step of producing an insulating layer for producing the insulating layer;
A step of producing a linear electrode for producing the linear electrode,
The production process of the linear electrode is as follows:
A conductive layer manufacturing step of forming a conductive layer on the insulating layer;
A spacer production step for producing a spacer for regulating the thickness of the liquid crystal layer in the conductive layer;
Patterning the conductive layer so that the portion masked by the spacer is a bridge that short-circuits the adjacent linear electrodes at least at portions excluding both ends in the extending direction of the linear electrodes ; and A patterning step of producing the linear electrode such that a portion masked by the spacer repeats in the extending direction of the linear electrode.

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