JPH0756154A - Production of liquid crystal optical element - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To easily and cost effectively provide a liquid crystal optical element having a good display characteristic without generating the intrusion of air bubbles and unequal application even in an emulsion applying method. CONSTITUTION:This process for production of the liquid crystal optical element comprises clamping liquid crystal/high polymer combined films between a pair of substrates. The process described above includes a first stage for forming water-soluble resist layers 3 corresponding to display patterns on a substrate 1 in display parts, a second stage for forming partition walls 4 consisting of a water-repellent electrical insulating resin between the boundaries of these water-soluble resist layers 3, a third stage for dissolving away the water-soluble resist layers 3, a fourth stage for forming the patterned liquid crystal/high polymer combined films 7 by packing liquid crystal emulsions 5 into the plural block chambers segmented by the partition walls 4 consisting of the water- repellent electrical insulating resin and forming the films and a fifth stage for sticking counter electrodes.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a liquid crystal optical element,
More specifically, it relates to a liquid crystal optical element using a liquid crystal / polymer composite film in which a liquid crystal is dispersed in a polymer substance.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, liquid crystal optical elements (liquid crystal displays) have been characterized by low power consumption, light weight, and thin shape. Therefore, they are used as wristwatches, calculators, personal computers, televisions, etc. as a display medium for characters and images. Widely used. General TN
The STN liquid crystal display is one in which liquid crystal is sealed in a liquid crystal cell in which a glass plate having transparent electrodes is provided with a predetermined seal or the like, and further sandwiched by polarizing plates from both sides. However, (1) since two polarizing plates are required, the viewing angle is narrow, and because of insufficient brightness, a backlight with high power consumption is required. (2) Cell thickness dependence Large and difficult to make large area, (3) complicated structure, and difficult to enclose liquid crystal in the cell, so there are problems such as high manufacturing cost, lighter and thinner liquid crystal display,
There are limits to large area, low power consumption, low cost, etc.

As a liquid crystal display medium for solving such problems, application of a liquid crystal / polymer composite film in which liquid crystal is dispersed in a polymer matrix is expected, and its research and development have been activated. A large number of light modulation elements using a liquid crystal / polymer composite film and a method of manufacturing the same have been disclosed, and one of them is to manufacture them from an emulsion in which a liquid crystal is dispersed in an aqueous polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) solution. Method (Tokuhei 3
No. 52843). The light modulation element manufactured by this method can improve the display contrast ratio by adding a dichroic dye, but has a characteristic such as low transmittance when the voltage is OFF. There is.

[0004]

The light modulation device prepared from the liquid crystal PVA dispersion aqueous solution in the above-mentioned prior art has the above-mentioned characteristics, but the liquid crystal PVA dispersion aqueous solution may be different depending on the blade coating method. Although coating is possible, there is a problem in terms of cost because an edge of the formed coating film, unevenness of thickness at the beginning and end of coating, and the like occur, and an expensive dispersion liquid is additionally used. Furthermore, it is impossible to form the dispersion in a pattern by blade coating, and it is possible to apply a pattern in the case of screen printing. However, when the dispersion passes through the mesh, bubbles are not formed in the dispersion. And the dispersion liquid has no thixotropic property, so that there are problems such as the dispersion liquid wrapping around the back side of the screen plate. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, to prevent liquid mixture and application unevenness of bubbles even in the emulsion coating method, and to easily and economically provide a liquid crystal optical element having good display characteristics. Is to provide.

[0005]

The above object can be solved by the present invention described below. That is, the present invention provides a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal optical element, which comprises sandwiching a liquid crystal / polymer composite film between a pair of substrates, wherein a water-soluble resist layer corresponding to a display pattern is formed on a substrate of a display portion. One step, a second step of forming a partition wall made of a water-repellent electrically insulating resin in a boundary gap of the water-soluble resist layer, a third step of dissolving and removing the water-soluble resist layer, the water-repellent electrically insulating resin Characterized by including a fourth step of forming a patterned liquid crystal / polymer composite film by filling and forming a liquid crystal emulsion into a plurality of compartments partitioned by partition walls made of And a liquid crystal optical element manufacturing method.

[0006]

The water-soluble resist layer corresponding to the display pattern is formed on the substrate of the display portion of the display device, and the partition wall made of the water-repellent electrically insulating resin is formed in the boundary gap between the resist layers. The layers are dissolved and removed to form a plurality of compartments partitioned by the partition wall made of the electrically insulating resin, and the compartments are filled with a liquid crystal emulsion to form a liquid crystal / polymer composite film in the compartments. As a result, liquid crystal optical elements having good display characteristics can be easily and economically provided without inclusion of bubbles or coating unevenness even in the emulsion coating method.

[0007]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the following preferred embodiments. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a manufacturing process of a liquid crystal optical element of the present invention. A transparent conductive film 2 is formed on the surface of the transparent substrate 1 of FIG. 1a. In the present invention, as a first step, a water-soluble resist layer 3 corresponding to a display pattern made of a liquid crystal / polymer composite film to be formed later is formed on the transparent conductive film 2 as shown in FIG. 1a.
As the water-soluble resist used in this step, a water-washing type or an alkali developing type water-soluble resist is used. As the former, for example, TC-56 manufactured by San Nopco Ltd. is used.
4-D-SN and the like. Examples of the latter include water-soluble dry film such as Laminar HF, Laminar AE, Laminar HG, Laminar TR manufactured by Morton Thiokol, AP-825 manufactured by Tokyo Ohka Co., Ltd. , AP-83
8, AP-850, AP-925, AP-938, AP
Examples of the photosensitive dry film resist include -950.

The water-soluble resist layer 3 is formed by screen printing or dry film bonding, and its shape is the same as a display pattern which is a liquid crystal / polymer composite film to be formed later, and the pattern is large. If too much, the area may be arbitrarily partitioned. Water-soluble resist layer 3
The pattern forming method may be an optical method such as dry film, or may be a printing method such as screen printing when the water-soluble resist is in the form of an ink. The method is preferred. The screen printing method does not provide a patterned resist layer having a finer line and sharper edges than the optical method, but has an advantage that the patterned resist layer can be formed by a simple operation. The thickness of the resist layer to be formed is approximately the same as the thickness of the partition walls 4 and the liquid crystal / polymer composite film 7 to be formed later, and is generally about 5 to 15 μm.

In the second step of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1b, partition walls 4 made of a water-repellent electrically insulating resin are formed in the boundary gap of the water-soluble resist layer 3. A fluorine-based or silicone-based resin material is preferably used as the water-repellent electrically insulating material used in the step. The partition walls 4 that are formed coincide with the pattern of the boundary gaps of the water-soluble resist layer 3, and the surface of the water-soluble resist layer 3 is coated with a paint or ink made of a water-repellent electrically insulating resin, The gap between the positive resist layers. At this time, it is preferable to increase the filling amount in consideration of the decrease in volume due to drying. Generally, the color of the partition wall is preferably black, and it is already well known that the visibility is improved by being black. Other than black, it may be colored in a color according to the purpose. However, since the partition walls of the display unit reduce the reflectance or transmittance of light, it is preferable to make the width of the partition walls as narrow as possible.

In the third step of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1c, the water-soluble resist layer 3 is dissolved and removed. The resist layer 3 is dissolved and removed by using a developing solution suitable for the material of the water-soluble resist used, such as neutral water or alkaline water. A method in which a developing solution is applied to the entire surface to swell or dissolve the resist layer, and the resist layer is peeled off by brushing or the like and then sufficiently washed may be used. Alternatively, a substrate in which a water-soluble resist layer and partition walls are formed in the developing solution The whole may be immersed and the resist layer may be removed in the same manner as above. In the fourth step of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1d, a squeegee made of flexible metal, hard rubber or the like is gently poured on the entire surface of the substrate provided with the partition walls 4 to remove the liquid crystal emulsion 5 from which air bubbles are sufficiently removed. 6 is operated in parallel to flatten the surface of the coating liquid. In this case, it is preferable to apply the liquid crystal emulsion thicker than the height of the partition wall in consideration of the film thickness reduction due to the subsequent drying. If left for a while, the meniscus of the liquid crystal emulsion 5 will be convex upward due to the water repellency of the partition wall 4 as shown in FIG. 1e, and the volume of the liquid crystal emulsion 5 will increase when it is dried at room temperature or at a temperature at which the emulsion is not affected. The liquid crystal / polymer composite film 7 having a reduced amount is formed.

Then, as a fifth step of the present invention, FIG.
As shown in, I is formed on the formed liquid crystal / polymer composite film 7.
The transparent conductive film surface of the counter substrate 9 on which the electrode 8 made of TO or the like is formed is brought into close contact with the liquid crystal / polymer composite film 7 and, as it is, or if necessary, is adhered and cured by using an adhesive or the like, The intended liquid crystal optical element of the present invention is completed. The electrode substrate and the counter electrode substrate used in the present invention may be the same as the electrode substrate used in a conventionally known liquid crystal liquid crystal display device, and examples thereof include the following. At least one of the electrode substrate and the counter electrode substrate is a transparent conductive substrate such as a glass substrate with ITO. Alternatively, a transparent conductive material such as SnO ₂ based or ZnO based may be attached to a transparent substrate. In addition to the glass substrate, the substrate may be a polymer film, for example, a transparent film made of a resin such as polyethylene terephthalate, polyarylate or polyether sulfone. On the other hand, in the case of an opaque conductive substrate, its electrode is also required to function as a reflection plate, so that a substrate provided with an aluminum reflection electrode is preferable, for example. Of course, the substrate itself may be glass, polymer film, or other material.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the substrate 1 is colored in a single color or a plurality of colors, or a colored layer of a single color or a plurality of colors is formed on the substrate. By coloring in this way, when performing mono-color display or multi-color display, it is possible to perform color display without using a color filter that was necessary for full-color display, simplifying the manufacturing process of the display device and reducing cost. And so on. In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a pixel provided with a colored layer is formed in a plurality of compartments partitioned by the partition walls 4, and a liquid crystal driving means capable of driving a liquid crystal is provided for each pixel. The colored layer may be provided on the electrode that drives the liquid crystal / polymer composite film, or may be provided on the counter electrode. As a forming method, a dyeing method, an electrodeposition method, a printing method, a coloring polymer method or the like, which is used in the production of general color filters, can be used.

As driving means, TFT, MOS-FE
An active matrix driving method using T, MIM, or the like, a static driving method, a direct driving method performing time-division driving, or the like can be used. For example, as a coloring layer, the addition method 3
Arbitrary color display is possible by forming fine (100 μm) stripes or mosaics of colors (R, G, B) and electrically selecting and driving each pixel. The liquid crystal emulsion used in the present invention may be either a conventionally known liquid crystal emulsion method or a phase separation method, and is not particularly limited, but a composite film by the emulsion method is preferable. explain. As the matrix resin used in the emulsion method, PVA is preferably used, but gelatin, acrylic acid copolymer, water-soluble alkyd resin, or the like that can be dispersed or dissolved in water may be used.

When PVA is used as the matrix resin, if PVA having a low saponification degree is used, the PVA itself has the ability as a surfactant, so that the liquid crystal emulsion can be satisfactorily used without using any other surfactant. Can be manufactured. Therefore, the liquid crystal / polymer composite film will be described below by using PVA as a typical example. Table 1 below
As shown in, the surface tension of the aqueous solution varies depending on the degree of polymerization and saponification of PVA. That is, the degree of polymerization and saponification of PVA causes a difference in the ability of PVA to disperse liquid crystals. Thus, the lower the degree of polymerization and the lower the degree of saponification, the higher the ability of PVA to disperse liquid crystals.

[0015]

[Table 1] Degree of saponification and degree of polymerization of various PVA

As a result, when a liquid crystal (for example, E-44 manufactured by Merck & Co., Inc.) is dispersed using an aqueous solution of various PVA shown in Table 2 below, each PVA changes the dispersibility and processability of the liquid crystal particles.

[Table 2] Structure and processability of PVA in liquid crystal (E-44) dispersion system of various PVA

On the other hand, when the degree of saponification of PVA is high, the dispersibility of the liquid crystal particles is deteriorated, the proportion of liquid crystals present in the aqueous phase is increased, and the particle size distribution is wide and the particle size is large. As a result, when the dispersibility is poor, the wettability with respect to the electrode substrate is poor, the processability is degraded, and the particle size distribution of the liquid crystal in the liquid crystal / polymer composite film is wide and the particle size is large, so that the electro-optical characteristics are also improved. descend. Also, when the degree of polymerization of PVA is large, the dispersibility of the liquid crystal particles is poor, the particle size distribution is wide, the particle size is large, the electro-optical characteristics are deteriorated, but the viscosity is high, so that the processability is improved.

Under such circumstances, a suitable degree of polymerization (300 to 300)
1,200) and the degree of saponification (50% to 85%),
With regard to the wettability with respect to the electrode substrate, it reaches a level without problems. Further, in order to pattern-coat only the necessary parts of the electrode substrate, since the viscosity of PVA is low, a thickener, for example, a suitable water-soluble polymer other than PVA, a thixotropic agent, a polymerization degree of 1, 500-3,000
In addition, it is preferable to add PVA or hydrophobic silica ultrafine particles having a saponification degree of 50% to 100% to thicken and use it. Further, when the problem of air bubbles occurs, a silicone-based emulsion type defoaming agent, for example, KM71, KM7
5, KM85, KM73, etc. (all manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.), SM5512, SH5510, SM5511, etc. (all manufactured by Toray Silicone), and silicone-based modified oil type defoaming agents KS68, KS502, KS
It is preferable to use 506 (manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.) and the like.

The liquid crystal referred to in the present invention is an organic mixture which exhibits a liquid crystal state at around room temperature, and includes nematic liquid crystal, cholesteric liquid crystal and smectic liquid crystal. Among these, nematic liquid crystal or nematic liquid crystal to which cholesteric liquid crystal is added is preferable in terms of characteristics. The amount of these liquid crystals used is such that the mixing ratio (weight ratio) of the matrix resin / liquid crystal is 5/95 to 50/50, and if the amount of the liquid crystals used is too small, the transparency when voltage is turned on is insufficient. However, it is not sufficient in that it requires a large voltage to bring the film into a transparent state. On the other hand, if the amount of liquid crystal used is too large, scattering (turbidity) when the voltage is off is insufficient. not only,
This is not preferable because the strength of the film is reduced. Incidentally, the liquid crystal may contain a dye in order to improve the contrast or the color tone. When a dichroic dye is added, it can be used not only as a scattering-transmissive composite film, but also as a composite film that switches in a light absorption (coloring) -transparent state by the guest-host effect of the dye. .

As a method for dispersing the liquid crystal in the PVA aqueous solution, a mixing method using various stirring devices such as an ultrasonic disperser or a film emulsification method (Tadao Nakajima, Masataka Shimizu, PHARMTEC
Dispersion methods such as H JAPAN Vol. 4, No. 10, (1988)) are effective. The particle size of the liquid crystal emulsion particles depends on the dispersion method used, but is generally 0.5 to 7 μm.
Is preferably in the range of 1, and more preferably in the range of 1 to 4 μm. Examples of the method for forming a liquid crystal / polymer composite film from the liquid crystal particle dispersion thus obtained include screen coating, blade coating, knife coating, slide coating, extrusion coating, fountain coating and the like. A screen coating method using a squeegee is preferred. The thickness of the composite film thus obtained is preferably about 5 to 15 μm.

In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the liquid crystal emulsion is treated to prepare microcapsules containing liquid crystal, and the microcapsule dispersion liquid is prepared as it is or after separation to prepare a coating liquid again. A liquid crystal / polymer composite film can be prepared by the method described above. As a method for producing microcapsules from an emulsion in which liquid crystal is dispersed, both a chemical production method and a physicochemical production method can be used. As the chemical preparation method, there are an interfacial polymerization method using a synthetic reaction, an in situ polymerization method, and a liquid hardening coating method that causes a change in physical properties of a polymer. The interfacial polymerization method is a method in which a water-soluble monomer and an oil-soluble monomer are selected as two kinds of monomers that undergo a polycondensation or polyaddition reaction, and either of them is dispersed and reacted at the interface. i
The n situ polymerization method is a method in which a reactant (a monomer and an initiator) is supplied from one of the inside and the outside of the core material to cause the reaction on the surface of the capsule wall film.

As a physicochemical preparation method, a coacervation method utilizing phase separation, an interfacial precipitation method, an in-liquid concentration method,
In-liquid drying method and secondary emulsion method are available. A simple coacervation method in which phase separation is caused by a decrease in solubility and a complex coacervation method in which phase separation is caused by an electrical interaction can also be used. The interfacial precipitation method is a method capable of encapsulation under mild conditions without violent reaction or abrupt pH change. For example, an emulsion in which a liquid crystal core material is dispersed is dispersed in a solvent solution of a hydrophobic polymer. And then redispersed in a protective colloid aqueous solution.

[0023]

EXAMPLES Next, the present invention will be described more specifically with reference to examples. Example 1 A dry film photoresist (AP-825 manufactured by Tokyo Ohka Co., Ltd.) was laminated on the ITO side of a glass substrate with ITO of 50 mm × 50 mm × 1.1 mm using a laminating machine, and a mask pattern was overlapped and irradiated with ultraviolet rays. Then, it was developed to form a patterned resist layer. Silicone resin (made by Goldschmidt, RC-720) is filled in the recessed portion, which is a gap between the obtained patterned resist layers, using a squeegee for screen printing, and further cured by irradiating an electron beam (10 Mrad). By doing so, a partition wall made of a water-repellent resin was formed. Next, the patterned resist layer was developed and peeled off to form a compartment partitioned by a partition wall made of a water-repellent resin.

E-44 (manufactured by Merck) was ultrasonically dispersed in a 5% by weight aqueous solution of KP-06 (manufactured by Nippon Synthetic Chemical Industry, degree of polymerization: about 600, degree of saponification: 71.0-75.0). After that, KH-17 (manufactured by Nippon Synthetic Chemical Industry, degree of polymerization: about 1,
700, saponification degree: 78.5 to 81.5) 10 wt% aqueous solution was added, and finally PVA / liquid crystal = 20/80
A PVA dispersion aqueous solution of liquid crystal was prepared so as to have a (weight ratio). An antifoaming agent (KM-71, manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.) was added to this dispersion at a ratio of 3% by weight of the dispersion. The liquid crystal / PVA dispersion aqueous solution was poured into the recesses between the obtained partition walls, and the surface was flattened using a squeegee for screen printing. The desired liquid crystal / polymer film was formed by drying at room temperature for one day. After that, the ITO surface of the glass plate with ITO forming the other conductive substrate was adhered and adhered onto the liquid crystal / polymer film to obtain a target polymer-dispersed liquid crystal display device. The obtained liquid crystal display device was white and opaque when no voltage was applied, but became colorless and transparent when a voltage was applied.

Example 2 A dry film photoresist (AP-825 manufactured by Tokyo Ohka Co., Ltd.) was laminated on the ITO side of a glass substrate with ITO of 50 mm × 50 mm × 1.1 mm using a laminating machine, and a mask pattern was overlaid. It was irradiated with ultraviolet rays and developed to form a patterned resist layer. Fluorine resin (CYTOP CTX-817 made by Asahi Glass Co., Ltd.) was filled in the recesses, which were the gaps between the obtained patterned resist layers, using a squeegee for screen printing, and further at 180 ° C.
A partition wall made of a water-repellent resin was formed by heat curing for a time. Next, the patterned resist layer was developed and peeled off to form a compartment partitioned by a partition wall made of a water-repellent resin.

A dichroic dye (G-264, Japan Photosensitive Dye Research) was added to a 5% by weight aqueous solution of KP-06 (manufactured by Nippon Synthetic Chemical Industry, degree of polymerization: about 600, degree of saponification: 71.0 to 75.0). 2% by weight was dissolved in E-44 (manufactured by Merck) and then ultrasonically dispersed. Next, KH-17 (manufactured by Nippon Synthetic Chemical Industry, degree of polymerization: about 1,700, degree of saponification: 7)
8.5 to 81.5) 10% by weight aqueous solution was added to prepare a liquid crystal PVA-dispersed aqueous solution so that PVA / liquid crystal = 20/80 (weight ratio) was finally obtained. An antifoaming agent (KM-71, manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.) was added to this dispersion at 3% by weight of the dispersion.
Was added. The liquid crystal /
The PVA dispersion aqueous solution was poured, and the surface was flattened using a squeegee for screen printing. The desired liquid crystal / polymer film was formed by drying at room temperature for one day. After that, the ITO surface of the glass plate with ITO forming the other conductive substrate is adhered and stuck onto the liquid crystal / polymer film,
A target polymer-dispersed liquid crystal display device was obtained. The obtained liquid crystal display device was blue opaque when no voltage was applied, but became colorless and transparent when a voltage was applied.

Example 3 Dry film photoresist (AP-825 manufactured by Tokyo Ohka Co., Ltd.) was laminated on the ITO side of a glass substrate with ITO of 50 mm × 50 mm × 1.1 mm by using a laminating machine, and a mask pattern was overlaid. It was irradiated with ultraviolet rays and developed to form a patterned resist layer. Silicone resin (made by Goldschmidt, RC-720) is filled in the recessed portion, which is a gap between the obtained patterned resist layers, using a squeegee for screen printing, and further cured by irradiating an electron beam (10 Mrad). By doing so, a partition wall made of a water-repellent resin was formed. Next, the patterned resist layer was developed and peeled off to form a compartment partitioned by a partition wall made of a water-repellent resin.

E-44 (manufactured by Merck) was ultrasonically dispersed in a 5% by weight aqueous solution of KP-06 (manufactured by Nippon Synthetic Chemical Industry, degree of polymerization: about 600, degree of saponification: 71.0-75.0). After that, KH-17 (manufactured by Nippon Synthetic Chemical Industry, degree of polymerization: about 1,
700, saponification degree: 78.5 to 81.5) 10 wt% aqueous solution was added, and finally PVA / liquid crystal = 20/80
A PVA dispersion aqueous solution of liquid crystal was prepared so as to have a (weight ratio). An antifoaming agent (KM-71, manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.) was added to this dispersion at a ratio of 3% by weight of the dispersion. The liquid crystal / PVA dispersion aqueous solution was poured into the recesses between the obtained partition walls, and the surface was flattened using a squeegee for screen printing. The desired liquid crystal / polymer film was formed by drying at room temperature for one day. Thereafter, the ITO surface of the polyethylene terephthalate film with ITO forming the other conductive substrate is adhered onto the liquid crystal / polymer film without air bubbles, and the periphery is fixed with an adhesive to disperse the desired polymer. A type liquid crystal display device was obtained. The obtained liquid crystal display device was white and opaque when no voltage was applied, but became colorless and transparent when a voltage was applied.

Example 4 On a surface of a glass substrate with ITO of 100 mm × 100 mm × 1.1 mm opposite to the ITO side, a pattern was colored with a magic ink or the like similarly to the pattern of a liquid crystal polymer composite film to be formed later. A dry film photoresist (AP-825 manufactured by Tokyo Ohka Co., Ltd.) was laminated on the ITO side by using a laminating machine, a mask pattern was overlaid, irradiated with ultraviolet rays, and developed to form a patterned resist layer. Silicon resin (manufactured by Goldschmidt, RC-) was formed in the concave portion, which was a gap between the obtained patterned resist layers.
720) was filled using a squeegee for screen printing, and further irradiated with an electron beam (10 Mrad) to be cured to form partition walls made of a water repellent resin. Next, the patterned resist layer was developed and peeled off to form a compartment partitioned by a partition wall made of a water-repellent resin.

E-44 (manufactured by Merck) was ultrasonically dispersed in a 5% by weight aqueous solution of KP-06 (manufactured by Nippon Synthetic Chemical Industry, degree of polymerization: about 600, degree of saponification: 71.0 to 75.0). After that, KH-17 (manufactured by Nippon Synthetic Chemical Industry, degree of polymerization: about 1,
700, saponification degree: 78.5 to 81.5) 10 wt% aqueous solution was added, and finally PVA / liquid crystal = 20/80
A PVA dispersion aqueous solution of liquid crystal was prepared so as to have a (weight ratio). An antifoaming agent (KM-71, manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.) was added to this dispersion at a ratio of 3% by weight of the dispersion. The liquid crystal / PVA dispersion aqueous solution was poured into the recesses between the obtained partition walls, and the surface was flattened using a squeegee for screen printing. The desired liquid crystal / polymer film was formed by drying at room temperature for one day. Thereafter, the ITO surface of a glass plate with ITO forming the other conductive substrate was adhered and adhered onto the liquid crystal / polymer film to obtain a target polymer dispersion type liquid crystal display device. The obtained liquid crystal display device was white and opaque when no voltage was applied, but became transparent when a voltage was applied, and various colors were confirmed by the transmitted light of the colored glass substrate.

[0031]

As described above, according to the present invention, the transparent substrate surface is provided with a partition wall having a predetermined height that exactly matches the outer edge of the display pattern, and the partition chamber partitioned by the partition wall is filled with the liquid crystal emulsion by the squeegee method. Therefore, a liquid crystal emulsion having an arbitrary viscosity can be used, and the liquid crystal emulsion can be uniformly and evenly applied with a highly accurate thickness. Furthermore, since the liquid crystal emulsion in the non-pixel area is eliminated, there is an advantage that an expensive liquid crystal emulsion can be used only in the display section. Furthermore, the possibility of conventional liquid crystal emulsion application has been discussed. Although it has not been realized yet, it is possible to easily fabricate a liquid crystal / polymer composite film on a polymer material substrate or a film substrate, which shows the possibility of significant cost reduction of a liquid crystal display device.

Since the substrate and the partition walls can be easily colored,
Arbitrary color display and multicolor display are simplified, and a reflective color display panel, which cannot be expressed by the conventional TN type or STN type, can be supplied at low cost. Not to mention static type display devices that display simple characters and patterns, display devices for personal computers and word processors, color TVs,
Since it can be similarly used for other high-precision display devices such as large-capacity monochromatic or color active matrix display devices, and large-area display devices can be manufactured. A wide range of measures can be taken, such as easily achieving the large area, which was the greatest weakness in the manufacture of liquid crystal display devices.

[0033]

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a manufacturing process of a liquid crystal display device of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1: Substrate 2: Transparent conductive film 3: Water-soluble resist layer 4: Partition wall 5: Liquid crystal emulsion 6: Squeegee 7: Liquid crystal / polymer composite film 8: Transparent conductive film 9: Counter substrate

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A method of manufacturing a liquid crystal optical element, which comprises sandwiching a liquid crystal / polymer composite film between a pair of substrates, wherein a water-soluble resist layer corresponding to a display pattern is formed on the substrate of a display portion. Step, second step of forming partition walls made of water-repellent electrically insulating resin in the boundary gap of the water-soluble resist layer, third step of dissolving and removing the water-soluble resist layer, from the water-repellent electrically insulating resin Characterized by including a fourth step of filling and forming a liquid crystal emulsion into a plurality of compartments partitioned by the partition wall to form a patterned liquid crystal / polymer composite film and a fifth step of laminating a counter electrode. A method for manufacturing a liquid crystal optical element. 2. The method for producing a liquid crystal optical element according to claim 1, wherein the water-repellent electrically insulating material is a fluorine-based or silicone-based resin material. 3. The method for producing a liquid crystal optical element according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is colored in a single color or a plurality of colors, or a colored layer of a single color or a plurality of colors is formed on the substrate. 4. The method for producing a liquid crystal optical element according to claim 1, wherein the electrically insulating material is a light impermeable material. 5. The liquid crystal / polymer composite film is a guest-host type containing a dichroic dye.
A method for manufacturing a liquid crystal optical element according to any one of 1. 6. The method for producing a liquid crystal optical element according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the substrates is a flexible film.