JP6331467B2 - Electrophoretic display device and electronic apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a dispersion, an electrophoretic display device, and an electronic apparatus.

  Conventionally, a configuration of an electrophoretic display device in which a dispersion liquid in which a plurality of white particles and a plurality of black particles having different charging characteristics are dispersed is sandwiched between a pair of substrates is known. In such an electrophoretic display device, white particles and black particles are moved by an electric field applied between the substrates, and a monochrome image is displayed (for example, see Patent Document 1).

JP 2013-24924 A

  As a study subject of the above-described apparatus, it is possible to increase the contrast of the display image and improve the image quality.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a dispersion capable of increasing the contrast of a display image. It is another object of the present invention to provide an electrophoretic display device and an electronic apparatus that are provided with such a dispersion, have a high contrast of a display image, and can display a high-quality image.

（式中、ｌは光遮蔽パラメーター（単位：μｍ）、ρは黒色粒子のみを分散させた分散液の単位体積あたりの粒子数（単位：個／μｍ^３）、ｎは黒色粒子の有効断面積（単位：μｍ^２）、φは黒色粒子の粒子径（単位：μｍ）を示す。） In order to solve the above problems, one embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of white particles, a plurality of black particles, and a dispersion medium that disperses the plurality of white particles and the plurality of black particles. When the total amount of the plurality of white particles and the plurality of black particles is 100, the ratio of the plurality of black particles is 12 or more and 42 or less, and for the plurality of black particles in the dispersion medium, the following formula (1 ) Is a light shielding parameter of 2 μm or less, and a dispersion liquid in which the concentration of the plurality of white particles and the plurality of black particles is 25% by mass or more and 60% by mass or less is provided.
In order to solve the above problem, one embodiment of the present invention includes a pair of substrates and an electrophoresis layer sandwiched between the pair of substrates, and the electrophoresis layer includes a plurality of white particles and a plurality of white particles. And a dispersion medium containing the plurality of white particles and the dispersion medium for dispersing the plurality of black particles, and the total amount of the mass of the plurality of white particles and the mass of the plurality of black particles is 100. The ratio of the plurality of black particles is 12 or more and 42 or less, and the black particles have a light shielding property represented by the following formula (1) when only the black particles are dispersed in the dispersion medium. Provided is an electrophoretic display device having a dispersion characteristic such that a parameter is 2 μm or less, and a total concentration of the plurality of white particles and the plurality of black particles is 25% by mass or more and 60% by mass or less.

(Wherein, l is a light shielding parameter (unit: μm), ρ is the number of particles per unit volume (unit: particles / μm ³ ) of a dispersion in which only black particles are dispersed , and n is an effective cross-sectional area of black particles. (Unit: μm ² ), φ indicates the particle size of black particles (unit: μm).

  According to this configuration, a high-contrast image display is possible, and a dispersion having high display performance can be provided.

In one embodiment of the present invention, when the total amount of the plurality of white particles and the plurality of black particles is 100, the ratio of the plurality of black particles may be 20 or more and 30 or less.
According to this configuration, it is possible to provide a dispersion that can display an image with higher contrast.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the concentration may be 30% by mass or more and 40% by mass or less.
According to this configuration, it is possible to provide a dispersion that can display an image with higher contrast.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the dispersion medium may have a kinematic viscosity of 10 mm ² / s or less.
According to this configuration, the movement of the particles contained in the dispersion is hardly hindered, and it is difficult to cause performance degradation such as a reduction in response speed. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a dispersion exhibiting good display performance.

In one aspect of the present invention, the light shielding parameter may be 1 μm or less.
According to this configuration, it is possible to provide a dispersion that can display an image with higher contrast.

One embodiment of the present invention provides an electrophoretic display device that includes a pair of substrates and an electrophoretic layer sandwiched between the pair of substrates, and the electrophoretic layer includes the dispersion liquid.
According to this configuration, since the above-described dispersion liquid is included, it is possible to provide an electrophoretic display device capable of displaying a high-quality image with high display image contrast.

One embodiment of the present invention provides an electronic device including the electrophoretic display device.
According to this configuration, since the above-described electrophoretic display device is included, it is possible to provide an electronic device capable of displaying a high-quality image with high contrast of a display image.

It is sectional drawing which shows schematic structure of the electrophoretic display apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. 3 is a plan view showing a configuration example of a cell matrix 4. FIG. It is a graph which shows the relationship between the ratio of white and black particles, and contrast. It is a graph which shows the relationship between the light shielding parameter of a black particle, and light reflectance. It is process drawing which shows the manufacturing process of an electrophoretic display device. It is process drawing which shows the manufacturing process of an electrophoretic display device. It is a perspective view explaining the specific example of the electronic device to which the electrophoretic display device of this invention is applied.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In all the drawings below, the dimensions and ratios of the constituent elements are appropriately changed in order to make the drawings easy to see.

[Electrophoretic display device]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of the electrophoretic display device according to the present embodiment. As shown in the drawing, an electrophoretic display device 100 includes an element substrate 1, a counter substrate 2, a cell matrix 4 provided on the element substrate 1 and having a plurality of cells 15, and an electrophoretic layer accommodated in the cells 15. (Dispersion) 11, sealing film 5 provided to cover electrophoretic layer 11 and cell matrix 4, and counter electrode disposed on sealing film 5 and sandwiched between sealing film 5 and counter substrate 2 6 are provided. The element substrate 1 and the counter substrate 2 correspond to “a pair of substrates” in the electrophoretic display device of the present invention.

  The element substrate 1 includes a base material 1A and a plurality of pixel electrodes 12 provided on the electrophoretic layer 11 side of the base material 1A. As the base material 1A, either a transparent substrate or an opaque substrate can be used. Examples of opaque substrates include ceramics such as alumina, metal sheets such as stainless steel that have been subjected to insulation treatment such as surface oxidation, thermosetting resins and thermoplastic resins, and films thereof (plastic films). It is done. As the transparent substrate, for example, an inorganic substance such as glass, quartz glass, or silicon nitride, or an organic polymer (resin) such as an acrylic resin or a polycarbonate resin can be used. In addition, a composite material formed by laminating or mixing the above materials can be used as long as it has optical transparency.

  A plurality of pixel electrodes 12 are provided in a matrix corresponding to the plurality of cells 15 included in the cell matrix 4. The pixel electrode 12 is an electrode in which nickel plating and gold plating are laminated in this order on a Cu foil, or an electrode formed of Al, ITO (indium tin oxide), or the like. Although not shown, between the pixel electrode 12 and the substrate 1A, wiring such as scanning lines and data lines, a selection transistor, and the like form a layer structure. Each wiring and transistor are appropriately insulated by an insulating layer. With these configurations, a potential can be independently applied to the pixel electrode 12.

  The counter substrate 2 is composed of the above-described transparent base material. A counter electrode 6 having a planar shape facing the plurality of pixel electrodes 12 is formed on the electrophoretic layer 11 side of the counter substrate 2. The counter electrode 6 is a transparent electrode made of MgAg, ITO, IZO (indium / zinc oxide, registered trademark) or the like.

  The cell matrix 4 includes a base portion 13 and a partition wall 14 disposed on the base portion 13. The cell matrix 4 is attached to the element substrate 1 via an adhesive layer 20 disposed in a region between the plurality of pixel electrodes 12.

  The base portion 13 forms the bottom surface of the cell matrix 4 and is composed of a sheet-like (that is, flat plate) member. There is no restriction | limiting in the thickness of the base 13, For example, a thin film about several micrometers-several tens of micrometers may be sufficient.

  Further, the partition wall 14 forms a side wall of the cell matrix 4 and divides the electrophoretic layer 11 into a plurality of parts. The partition 14 divides the element substrate 1 into a plurality of cells 15 corresponding to the pixel electrodes 12, and the electrophoretic layer 11 is disposed in each of the plurality of cells 15. In the present embodiment, the partition wall 14 has a tapered shape in which the cross-sectional structure tapers toward the distal end side opposite to the base portion 13 side.

  The shape of the partition wall 14 in plan view (hereinafter also referred to as a planar shape) is, for example, a square lattice shape, a hexagonal lattice shape, or a triangular lattice shape. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a configuration example of the cell matrix 4. As shown in FIG. 2A, when the planar shape of the partition 14 is a square lattice, the planar shape of the cell 15 is a square. Further, as shown in FIG. 2B, when the planar shape of the partition 14 is a hexagonal lattice, the planar shape of the cell 15 is a hexagon.

  In the cell matrix 4, the base portion 13 and the partition wall 14 may be integrally formed. The partition wall 14 and the plate-like base portion 13 are separately formed, and the partition wall is formed on one surface of the plate-like base portion 13. 14 may be fixed. Further, the cell matrix 4 may be configured by only the partition wall 14 without the base portion 13. In that case, the partition wall 14 may be directly attached to the element substrate 1.

  In the cell matrix 4, when the base 13 and the partition 14 are integrally formed, the base 13 and the partition 14 are made of the same material. Moreover, when the base 13 and the partition 14 are formed separately, the base 13 and the partition 14 may be comprised with the same material, and may be comprised with a different material.

  The material constituting the base portion 13 may be either a flexible material or a hard material. For example, various materials such as an epoxy resin, an acrylic resin, a urethane resin, a melamine resin, and a phenol resin. Examples thereof include resin materials and various ceramic materials such as silica, alumina, and titania. When plasticity is imparted to the electrophoretic display device 100, it is preferable to select a resin material having plasticity for the base portion 13. Examples of the material constituting the partition wall 14 include various resin materials such as epoxy resin, acrylic resin, urethane resin, melamine resin, and phenol resin, and various ceramic materials such as silica, alumina, and titania. Can be mentioned.

  The electrophoretic layer 11 is composed of a dispersion liquid including a dispersion medium 30 and a plurality of electrophoretic particles 31 dispersed in the dispersion medium 30. The electrophoretic layer 11 relates to an embodiment of the dispersion liquid of the present invention.

The dispersion medium 30 is, for example, aliphatic hydrocarbons such as pentane, hexane, octane, paraffin, and isoparaffin;
Cycloaliphatic hydrocarbons such as cyclohexane, methylcyclohexane, naphthene;
Benzenes having a long-chain alkyl group such as benzene, toluene, xylene, hexylbenzene, heptylbenzene, octylbenzene, nonylbenzene, decylbenzene, undecylbenzene, dodecylbenzene, tridecylbenzene, tetradecylbenzene (alkylbenzene derivatives) Aromatic hydrocarbons such as
Aromatic fluorinated rings such as pyridine, pyrazine, furan, pyrrole, thiophene, methylpyrrolidone;
Esters such as methyl acetate, ethyl acetate, butyl acetate, ethyl formate;
Ketones such as acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, diethyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone, methyl isopropyl ketone, cyclohexanone;
Nitriles such as acetonitrile, propionitrile, acrylonitrile;
Amides such as N, N-dimethylformamide and N, N-dimethylacetamide;
Carboxylate;
Alternatively, silicone oil or the like can be used. These may be used alone or as a mixture.

  Moreover, as aliphatic hydrocarbons that can be used as the dispersion medium 30, those that are commercially available as isoparaffinic solvents can be used, and examples of such commercially available products include Isopar (registered trademark). . The dispersion medium 30 is, for example, a liquid obtained by mixing one or two or more kinds selected from the group consisting of Isopar E, Isopar G, Isopar H, Isopar L, and Isopar M, or these and other hydrocarbons described above. Mixed liquids can be used.

  In the present embodiment, the electrophoretic particles 31 are charged particles including, for example, white particles 31a and black particles 31b. The white particles 31a are particles made of a white pigment such as titanium oxide, zinc white, and antimony trioxide, and are used, for example, by being negatively charged. The black particles 31b are particles made of a black pigment such as carbon black, aniline black, titanium black, or copper chromite, and are used, for example, by being positively charged.

  The sealing film 5 is a film for sealing the electrophoretic layer 11 in the cell 15. On the surface of the electrophoretic layer 11, the sealing film 5 is formed with a constant film thickness along the surface, and the concave shape of the surface of the electrophoretic layer 11 appears on the surface of the sealing film 5. Examples of the material constituting the sealing film 5 include water-soluble polymers, and specifically, any one of polyvinyl alcohol (also referred to as PVA), gelatin, gum arabic, carboxymethyl cellulose, and chaotic cellulose, Alternatively, two or more of these are included. In the present embodiment, the sealing film 5 is formed using PVA.

  When a hydrocarbon-based dispersion medium (for example, Isopar) is selected as the dispersion medium 30 and a water-soluble polymer film (for example, PVA) is selected as the sealing film 5, the following advantages are obtained. There is. That is, both hydrocarbon-based dispersion media (for example, Isopar) and PVA are inexpensive.

  For this reason, the manufacturing cost of the electrophoretic display device 100 can be reduced. In addition, the sealing film 5 can be formed to be colorless and transparent, and a light transmittance of about 90% can be secured. Since the attenuation of light by the sealing film 5 is small, the visibility of characters, images, and the like displayed on the screen covered with the sealing film 5 (that is, the aggregate of the plurality of cells 15) can be improved. In addition, since the compatibility between the sealing film 5 and the electrophoretic layer 11 is extremely low, the electrophoretic layer 11 can be sealed in the cell 15 with high airtightness.

  Based on this configuration, in the electrophoretic display device 100, for example, when a voltage is applied between the pixel electrode 12 and the counter electrode 6, the electrophoretic particles 31 (white particles 31a and The black particles 31b) are electrophoresed toward one of the electrodes (pixel electrode 12, counter electrode 6). For example, when the white particles 31a are negatively charged, if the pixel electrode 12 is set to a positive potential, the white particles 31a move to the pixel electrode 12 side (lower side) and gather to display black. Thereby, the electrophoretic display device 100 can display a desired image.

[Dispersion]
Next, the dispersion liquid of this embodiment will be described. The dispersion of this embodiment has the following three requirements.
(Requirement 1) When the total amount of the plurality of white particles 31a and the plurality of black particles 31b contained in the dispersion is 100, the ratio of the plurality of black particles 31b is 12 to 42 (Requirement 2) in the dispersion medium 30 The light shielding parameter of the plurality of black particles 31b is 2 μm or less (Requirement 3) The concentration of the plurality of white particles 31a and the plurality of black particles 31b is 25 mass% or more and 60 mass% or less.

(Requirement 1)
First, requirement 1 will be described.
FIG. 3 is a graph showing the relationship between the ratio of white particles to black particles and the contrast of the dispersion liquid in which white particles and black particles are dispersed. In FIG. 3, the horizontal axis represents the ratio of white particles to the total amount of white particles and black particles (unit:%), the right vertical axis represents light reflectance (unit:%), and the left vertical axis represents contrast.

  In the graph shown in FIG. 3, the light reflectance is obtained by making the total amount of white particles and black particles constant, changing the ratio of each particle to prepare a dispersion, and enclosing the prepared dispersion in a test cell. The values measured using a color luminance meter (Topcon, BM-5A) are shown.

  Specifically, a ring light source was used as a light source, light emitted from the ring light source was reflected by a test cell, and the amount of reflected light was measured with a color luminance meter. The light reflectance in the figure is a relative value when the value measured for the white calibration plate using a color luminance meter is 100%. Other conditions are as follows.

<Measurement conditions>
(particle)
White particles: The surface of titania (CR97, manufactured by Ishihara Sangyo Co., Ltd.) is modified with a polymer having a siloxane structure in the main chain. Primary particle diameter 250nm
Black particles: The surface of titanium black (SC-13M-T, manufactured by Mitsubishi Materials Corporation) is modified with a polymer having a siloxane structure in the main chain. Primary particle diameter 75nm
The particle size of white particles and black particles is measured using the dynamic light scattering method as the measurement principle.
(Dispersion medium)
Dispersion medium: Silicone oil (KF-96L-2cs, manufactured by Shin-Etsu Silicone)
(Dispersion)
Particle concentration of dispersion: 40% by mass
(Test cell)
Test cell: A sealed space is formed with a pair of glass substrates (0.5 mm thick, with ITO electrodes)
Separation distance between substrates 30μm
Voltage during measurement: DC15V. After applying voltage, reflectivity is measured after sufficient time for particles to move.

  In addition, about the contrast of the left vertical axis | shaft of FIG. 3, the relative value when the contrast calculated | required about the dispersion liquid of 80% of the white particle content rate is set to 100 is shown. The measured value of contrast at a white particle content of 80% is 64.

  As a result of the measurement, when the total amount of white particles and black particles contained in the dispersion is 100, when the ratio of white particles is 58 or more and 88 or less, that is, when the ratio of black particles is 12 or more and 42 or less, the contrast It was found that the relative value was 50 or more, and an image with a suitable contrast could be displayed.

  Furthermore, it was found that when the ratio of white particles is 70 or more and 80 or less, that is, the ratio of black particles is 20 or more and 30 or less, the relative value of contrast is 90 or more, and an image with higher contrast can be displayed.

  In addition, even if it changed the particle concentration of the dispersion liquid, it turned out that the same tendency as the graph of FIG. 3 is shown.

(Requirement 2)
Next, requirement 2 will be described.
In this specification, the “light shielding parameter” of the black particles refers to a value defined by the following formula.

（式中、ｌは光遮蔽パラメーター（単位：μｍ）、ρは分散液の単位体積あたりの粒子数（単位：個／μｍ^３）、ｎは粒子の有効断面積（単位：μｍ^２）、φは粒子の粒子径（単位：μｍ）を示す。ｎ＝πφ^２である）

(Wherein l is a light shielding parameter (unit: μm), ρ is the number of particles per unit volume of the dispersion (unit: particles / μm ³ ), n is an effective cross-sectional area of the particles (unit: μm ² ), φ Indicates the particle size of the particles (unit: μm), n = πφ ² )

In addition, in the case of controlling the concentration of particles at a mass% concentration of the dispersion, ρ in the formula (1) is the particle concentration (unit: mass%) of the dispersion to be used and the density of the particles (unit: g / m ³ ) Based on the density (unit: g / m ³ ) of the dispersion medium, the volume% concentration of the particles of the dispersion is calculated, and the volume% concentration of the particles of the obtained dispersion and the particle diameter of the particles are calculated. It is obtained by calculating based on the volume per particle.

  The “light shielding parameter” indicates the distance until the light incident on the dispersion hits the black particles and the remaining unabsorbed hits the next black particle. The smaller the light shielding parameter is, the more easily the dispersion liquid can display black.

  The above equation (1) expresses the “mean free path”, which is the average value of the distance traveled from a certain arbitrary time to the first collision that occurs while colliding with other molecules and atoms. Known as an expression to represent. In this specification, “particles that travel while colliding with other molecules and atoms” in the definition of mean free path are considered as light incident on the dispersion, and “other molecules and atoms” are replaced with black particles. Adopted as a requirement for dispersion.

  It should be noted that the moving speed of the black particles moving in the dispersion is very small compared to the moving speed of the light incident on the dispersion. Therefore, it can be considered that the black particles are stopped with respect to the elapsed time until the light hits certain black particles and the remaining unabsorbed portion hits the next black particles. Therefore, the light shielding parameter can be controlled by changing the concentration of the black particles and the particle diameter of the black particles from the above formula (1) without considering the movement of the black particles in the dispersion.

  FIG. 4 is a graph showing the relationship between the light shielding parameter of black particles and the light reflectance. In FIG. 4, the horizontal axis indicates the light shielding parameter (unit: μm), and the vertical axis indicates the light reflectance (unit:%). The horizontal axis is a logarithmic axis.

  In the graph shown in the figure, a dispersion with different particle concentrations was prepared using three types of black particles (A particles, B particles, and C particles) with different particle diameters, and the prepared dispersion was sealed in a test cell. The value measured using a color luminance meter (manufactured by Topcon Corporation, BM-5A) is shown. The method for measuring the light reflectance is the same as the method shown in requirement 1. Specific measurement conditions are shown below.

<Measurement conditions>
(particle)
Particle size: A particle 115 nm, B particle 272 nm, C particle 386 nm
Measured using the dynamic light scattering method as the measurement principle.
Particle density: 4.2 g / cm ³
(Dispersion medium)
Dispersion medium: Silicone oil (KF-96L-2cs, manufactured by Shin-Etsu Silicone)
Dispersion medium density: 0.873 g / cm ³
(Test cell)
Test cell: A sealed space is formed with a pair of glass substrates (0.5 mm thick, with ITO electrodes)
Separation distance between substrates 30μm
Voltage at the time of measurement: No application (0V)

  As shown in FIG. 4, it turned out that the same tendency is shown about the light-shielding parameter of the black particle from which a particle diameter differs. It was found that dispersions having different particle diameters and concentrations of black particles can be selected with a suitable composition by evaluating using light shielding parameters.

  As a result of the examination, it was found that the light shielding parameter is preferably 0.15 μm or more and 2 μm or less. When the light shielding parameter of the dispersion is 0.15 μm or more, the light reflectance is increased during white display, and a clear image display is possible without blackening of the white display portion. Further, when the light shielding parameter of the dispersion is 2 μm or less, the light reflectance is sufficiently small during black display, and a clear image display is possible without the black display portion becoming dull.

  The upper limit value of the light shielding parameter is preferably 1 μm or less. When the light shielding parameter of the dispersion is 1 μm or less, light absorption by the black particles can be sufficiently performed, the light reflectance can be further reduced during black display, and a clearer image can be displayed.

(Requirement 3)
Next, requirement 3 will be described.
As a result of the study by the inventors, in order to satisfy the above requirements 1 and 2, the concentration of the particles (the total of white particles and black particles) in the dispersion is 25% by mass or more and 60% by mass or less. I found it good. When the particle concentration is 25% by mass or more, the light reflectance becomes sufficiently small during black display, and a clear image display becomes possible. Further, if the particle concentration exceeds 60% by mass, the movement of the particles contained in the dispersion is likely to be hindered, and there is a risk of performance degradation such as a decrease in responsiveness, but the particle concentration is 60% by mass or less. And it can be set as the dispersion liquid which shows favorable display performance.

  Furthermore, in order to satisfy the requirement 2 among the above requirements 1, which is a preferable range of “the ratio of black particles is 20 or more and 30 or less”, and the requirement 2, the concentration of particles in the dispersion liquid is 30% by mass or more and 40 It turned out that it is preferable that it is below mass%.

(Other)
In addition, as a dispersion medium to be used, it is preferable that kinematic viscosity is 10 mm < ² > / s (10 cS (GCS unit system)) or less. When the kinematic viscosity of the dispersion medium is 10 mm ² / s or less, the movement of particles contained in the dispersion liquid is hardly hindered, and it is difficult to cause performance deterioration such as a decrease in responsiveness. It can be liquid. The kinematic viscosity of the dispersion medium is preferably 0.5 mm ² / s (0.5 cS (GCS unit system)) or more.

[Method for Manufacturing Electrophoretic Display Device]
Next, a method for manufacturing the electrophoretic display device 100 using the electrophoretic particles 31 formed as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6 are cross-sectional views showing the manufacturing process of the electrophoretic display device 100. FIG.

  First, as shown in FIG. 5A, first, a cell matrix 4 is prepared. In the present embodiment, a substrate in which the element substrate 1 is attached to the surface of the cell matrix 4 on the base 13 side in advance through an adhesive layer 20 is used.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5B, the electrophoretic layer 11 is supplied into each cell 15 of the cell matrix 4. In the present embodiment, a dispersion liquid having a plurality of electrophoretic particles 31 and a dispersion medium 30 is disposed in each cell 15.

  The electrophoretic layer 11 is supplied into each cell 15 by various application methods such as a dropping method using a dispenser, an ink jet method (droplet discharge method), a spin coating method, a dip coating method, a spray coating method, and the like. Among these, it is preferable to use a dropping method or an ink jet method. According to the dropping method or the ink jet method, since the electrophoretic layer 11 can be selectively supplied to the intended storage portion, it can be supplied into the cell 15 more reliably and without waste.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5C, the opening side of the cell matrix 4 to which the electrophoretic layer 11 is supplied is covered with PVA which is a material for forming the sealing film 5, and each cell 15 of the cell matrix 4 is covered. The electrophoretic layer 11 is enclosed inside. In this embodiment, after supplying the electrophoretic layer 11 into the cell 15, the sealing process is performed after a certain waiting time is provided. Thereby, the surface (namely, liquid level) of the electrophoretic layer 11 can be reduced in the center part of the cell 15, and the shape by the cross-sectional view can be made concave.

A method for forming the sealing film 5 is, for example, as follows. That is, PVA is dissolved in, for example, water or a hydrophilic liquid (for example, methanol or ethanol) to form a liquid, and a sealing liquid is created. For example, PVA is dissolved in water to create a sealing liquid of 3% by mass to 40% by mass. Next, this sealing liquid 5 A is applied to the opening side of the cell matrix 4. The electrophoretic layer 11 is lipophilic, the sealing liquid 5A is hydrophilic, and the electrophoretic layer 11 and the sealing liquid 5A are not miscible.
In the application process of the sealing liquid 5A, for example, the sealing liquid 5A is uniformly applied to the entire surface on the opening side of the cell matrix 4 using the squeegee 17. Further, the coating method of the sealing liquid 5A may be other methods, for example, a coating method using a die coater or a comma coater.

  A cross-linking agent may be added to the sealing liquid 5A. As the cross-linking agent, for example, an aqueous boric acid solution is added. The boric acid aqueous solution contains borate ions. In the sealing liquid 5A, borate ions connect (ie, gel) PVA molecules together. This gelation is due to multipoint intermolecular forces (hydrogen bonds, coordination bonds, covalent bonds, etc.). Thereby, the viscosity of 5A of sealing liquid can be 1000 mPa * s or more, for example, and a gel-like PVA aqueous solution can be obtained. Thereby, handling of sealing liquid 5A becomes easy and a manufacturing process can be simplified.

Next, as shown in FIG. 6A, the applied sealing liquid 5A is dried and cured. For example, the sealing liquid 5A is left in a temperature environment of about room temperature to about 50 ° C., and is dried and cured.
Although the time required for the drying process depends on the thickness of the sealing liquid 5A, it is, for example, about several minutes to several hours. Since the concentration of PVA in the film of the sealing liquid 5A is high, the sealing liquid 5A can be dried naturally or at a relatively low temperature. As described above, the sealing film 5 is formed on the exposed portion of the electrophoretic layer 11 supplied into the cell 15. As a result, the electrophoretic layer 11 is sealed in the cell 15 with high airtightness. In this drying process, the water contained in the sealing liquid 5A is volatilized (that is, evaporated), so that the thickness of the sealing film 5 becomes thinner than that immediately after the application (FIG. 5C, FIG. 6A). )reference).

Next, as shown in FIG. 6B, a counter substrate 2 having a counter electrode 6 is prepared. In the present embodiment, a flexible resin substrate is selected as the counter substrate 2 in order to impart flexibility to the electrophoretic display device 100. Then, the counter substrate 2 is attached to the cell matrix 4 using an adhesive layer (not shown). Thereafter, a sealing material (not shown) is disposed so as to surround the outer periphery of the counter substrate 2.
Through the above steps, the electrophoretic display device 100 shown in FIG. 1 is completed.

  According to the dispersion liquid having the above-described configuration, a high-contrast image display is possible, and a dispersion liquid having high display performance can be provided.

  Moreover, according to the electrophoretic display device having the above-described configuration, since the above-described dispersion liquid is included, high-contrast image display is possible and high-quality display performance is achieved.

[Electronics]
Next, an embodiment of the electronic device of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a specific example of an electronic apparatus to which the electrophoretic display device of the present invention is applied.
FIG. 7A is a perspective view illustrating an electronic book which is an example of the electronic apparatus. The electronic book (electronic device) 400 includes a book-shaped frame 401, a cover 402 that can be rotated (openable and closable) with respect to the frame 401, an operation unit 403, and the electrophoretic display of the present invention. And a display unit 404 configured by the apparatus.

  FIG. 7B is a perspective view illustrating a wrist watch that is an example of an electronic apparatus. The wristwatch (electronic device) 500 includes a display unit 501 configured by the electrophoretic display device of the present invention.

  FIG. 7C is a perspective view illustrating an electronic paper which is an example of the electronic apparatus. This electronic paper (electronic device) 600 includes a main body portion 601 composed of a rewritable sheet having the same texture and flexibility as paper, and a display portion 602 composed of an electrophoretic display device of the present invention.

  According to the electronic book 400, the wristwatch 500, and the electronic paper 600 described above, the electrophoretic display device according to the present invention is employed. Therefore, an electronic device that can display an image with high contrast and display a high quality. It becomes.

  In addition, said electronic device illustrates the electronic device which concerns on this invention, Comprising: The technical scope of this invention is not limited. For example, the electrophoretic display device according to the present invention can be suitably used for display units of electronic devices such as mobile phones and portable audio devices, business sheets such as manuals, textbooks, problem collections, information sheets, and the like. it can.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to such examples. Various shapes, combinations, and the like of the constituent members shown in the above-described examples are examples, and various modifications can be made based on design requirements and the like without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the electrophoretic display device 100 is exemplified by a structure in which the electrophoretic layer (dispersion liquid) 11 is accommodated in the cell 15 provided between the element substrate 1 and the counter substrate 2. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a configuration in which the microcapsules containing the dispersion liquid are disposed between the element substrate 1 and the counter substrate 2 may be employed.

  11 ... Electrophoresis layer (dispersion), 30 ... Dispersion medium, 31a ... White particles, 31b ... Black particles

Claims (6)

A pair of substrates;
An electrophoretic layer sandwiched between the pair of substrates,
The electrophoretic layer includes a plurality of white particles,
A plurality of black particles;
Includes a dispersion have a, a dispersion medium for dispersing the plurality of white particles and the plurality of black particles,
When the total amount of the mass of the plurality of white particles and the mass of the plurality of black particles is 100, the ratio of the plurality of black particles is 12 or more and 42 or less.
The black particles have a dispersion characteristic such that when only the black particles are dispersed in the dispersion medium, the light shielding parameter represented by the following formula (1) is 2 μm or less,
The dispersion liquid is an electrophoretic display device in which a total concentration of the plurality of white particles and the plurality of black particles is 25% by mass or more and 60% by mass or less.

(Wherein, l is a light shielding parameter (unit: μm), ρ is the number of particles per unit volume (unit: particles / μm ³ ) of a dispersion in which only black particles are dispersed , and n is an effective cross-sectional area of black particles. (Unit: μm ² ), φ indicates the particle size of black particles (unit: μm). 2. The electricity according to claim 1, wherein the dispersion liquid has a ratio of the plurality of black particles of 20 or more and 30 or less when a total amount of the mass of the plurality of white particles and the mass of the plurality of black particles is 100. 3. Electrophoretic display device . The electrophoretic display device according to claim 1 , wherein the total concentration of the dispersion is 30% by mass or more and 40% by mass or less. The electrophoretic display device according to claim 1, wherein the dispersion medium has a kinematic viscosity of 10 mm ² / s or less. The electrophoretic display device according to claim 1, wherein the light shielding parameter is 1 μm or less. An electronic apparatus comprising the electrophoretic display device according to claim 1 .

Images