JPH08184823A - Color liquid crystal display element - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a color liquid crystal display element with which a reduction of a manufacturing cost is possible and a display grade is high by forming this element in such a manner that the unequal gap between electrode substrates occurring in the thickness of color filters is prevented even if a laborious masking operation (parting stage) for limiting the range for forming the color filters and a black mask to the inner side of a region to be coated with a sealing material is not carried out. CONSTITUTION: This color liquid crystal display element is formed by joining an electrode substrate 12 having the striped color filters 2 and the black mask 3 to an electrode substrate 12 via the sealing material 4 and enclosing liquid crystals 14 to the inner side of this sealing material 4. The color filters 2 and the black mask 3 are extended at least up to the region overlapping on the sealing material 4.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a color liquid crystal display device in which a striped color filter is provided on an electrode substrate to enable multi-color or full-color display.
In particular, the present invention relates to a color liquid crystal display device in which a black mask is provided adjacent to a color filter to prevent light leakage.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in this type of color liquid crystal display device, an electrode substrate provided with a color filter and an electrode substrate not provided with the color filter are opposed to each other with their transparent electrodes (common electrodes and segment electrodes) orthogonal to each other. In this state, they are joined together via a sealing material, and a liquid crystal is injected into the space inside the sealing material between the pair of electrode substrates to seal the space, which is a schematic configuration. Here, in order to obtain the one electrode substrate on the color filter side, on a transparent substrate made of glass or the like,
For example, by forming a striped color filter in which three colors of red, blue and green are alternately arranged by the electrodeposition method,
For example, a black mask is formed by a photoresist method so as to sandwich each color filter in the width direction, an overcoat layer that covers these color filters and the black mask is formed, and then a transparent electrode made of ITO (indium tin oxide) or the like is formed. (For example, a common electrode) may be formed, and the transparent electrode may be covered with an alignment film made of polyimide or the like. Also, to obtain the other electrode substrate,
Similarly, a transparent electrode (for example, a segment electrode) and an alignment film may be sequentially formed on a transparent substrate, and the pair of electrode substrates thus obtained has a liquid crystal after a predetermined alignment treatment is applied to each alignment film. Except for the injection port, a sealing material made of epoxy resin or UV curable resin applied in a frame shape is sandwiched and bonded.

Generally, the width of each color filter is about 100 μm, and the width of a black mask is 20 μm.
It is set to a degree.

By the way, the thickness of the color filter formed on the glass substrate or the like is about 1.2 μm before the overcoat layer is formed, and it is said that the step caused by this thickness is flattened by the overcoat layer. However, if the color filter extends to the application area of the sealing material, on the electrode substrate on the side of the color filter, two of the four sides of the sealing material which are substantially parallel to each other and cross the color filter are the remaining two substantially parallel sides. It is thought that the display quality is likely to be deteriorated due to unevenness in the gap between the pair of electrode substrates facing each other because the protrusions are higher than the sides.

Therefore, in the recent color liquid crystal display element, as shown in FIG. 5, the formation range of the color filters 2 arranged in a stripe shape on the glass substrate 1 is larger than the frame-shaped application area of the sealing material 4. The technique of forming the color filter 2 and the black mask 3 in a state where the peripheral edge portion including the sealing material application region on the glass substrate 1 is masked so as to be on the inside is widely adopted. Generally, this masking work is performed. Is called a parting process. That is, if the formation range of the color filter 2 and the black mask 3 is limited to the inside of the application area of the seal material 4 in this way, a step does not occur in the seal material application area on the glass substrate 1, so that the seal material 4 is used. The gap between the pair of electrode substrates joined together is not affected by the thickness of the color filter 2, and the display quality can be improved. Note that reference numeral 5 in FIG. 5 denotes a liquid crystal injection port that is opened at a predetermined position of the sealing material 4 and is closed with a sealing material (not shown) later.

[0006]

However, in the above-described conventional technique, the parting process added to limit the formation range of the color filter 2 and the black mask 3 to the inside of the application region of the seal material 4 is complicated. Since it is a masking operation, it adversely affects the productivity and has been a factor of increasing the manufacturing cost of the color liquid crystal display element.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a color liquid crystal display device capable of preventing the unevenness of the gap between the electrode substrates due to the thickness of the color filter and having a high display quality and omitting the parting process to reduce the cost. To do.

[0008]

The object of the present invention described above is such that one of the electrode substrates facing each other is formed at a position where the color filters are formed in stripes and the color filters are sandwiched in the width direction. With a black mask,
In a color liquid crystal display element in which the pair of electrode substrates are bonded to each other via a sealing material and liquid crystal is sealed inside the sealing material, the color filter and the black mask are extended to at least a region overlapping with the sealing material. It is achieved by

At this time, it is preferable to set a region overlapping with the liquid crystal injection port, which is closed with a sealing material, in a region where the black mask does not exist. Further, it is preferable to set a region where a part of the sealing material overlaps with a strip-shaped portion substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of each color filter, as a color filter formation region.

[0010]

If the color filter or the black mask having substantially the same thickness is extended in all the regions of the electrode substrate on which the color filter and the black mask are formed, which overlap with the sealing material, the sealing material application region is provided. Since the step does not occur, there is no possibility that the gap between the pair of electrode substrates joined via the sealing material will be uneven due to the influence of the thickness of the color filter. Further, such a gap unevenness prevention measure only needs to widen the range of formation of the color filter and the black mask, and does not require a complicated masking work (a parting process) for the peripheral portion of the substrate, so there is no fear of deteriorating the productivity.

At this time, if the black mask is prevented from overlapping the liquid crystal injection port, the state of the sealant being bitten in can be easily seen. Further, when the sealing material is made of UV curable resin or the like, if a large number of light-transmitting color filters overlap with the sealing material, the sealing defect inspection can be easily performed.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a sectional structural view of an essential part showing an embodiment of a color liquid crystal display device according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing a positional relationship between a forming range of a color filter and a black mask and a sealing material in the embodiment. FIG. 5 used to describe the conventional example
The same reference numerals are given to the portions corresponding to.

The color liquid crystal display element shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 has a lower electrode substrate 12 having a stripe-shaped color filter 2, a black mask 3, a common electrode 6 and the like on a glass substrate 1, and a segment electrode on a glass substrate 7. The upper electrode substrate 13 having the common electrode 6 and the segment electrode 8
In a state where they are opposed to each other while being orthogonal to each other, they are bonded via the seal material 4, and the liquid crystal 14 is injected into the space inside the seal material 4 between the pair of electrode substrates 12 and 13 to seal the space. It is roughly configured.

Here, the method of manufacturing the lower electrode substrate 12 will be described. First, three colors of red (R), blue (B), and green (G) are alternately arranged on the glass substrate 1 by the electrodeposition method. After the striped color filters 2 are formed, a striped black mask 3 is formed by a photoresist method so as to sandwich each color filter 2 in the width direction. At this time, the peripheral edge of the substrate is not masked as is conventionally done, but the color filter 2 or the black mask 3 is present on the entire surface of the glass substrate 1, so that the frame material overlapping the sealing material 4 is formed. All the areas are included in the formation range of the color filter 2 or the black mask 3. Then these color filters 2
And overcoat layer 9 covering the black mask 3
After forming the common electrode 6, a common electrode 6 made of ITO or the like is formed in a direction orthogonal to the color filter 2. Then, an alignment film 10 made of polyimide or the like for covering the common electrode 6 is formed.
To form. On the other hand, the upper electrode substrate 13 is manufactured by sequentially forming the segment electrodes 8 and the alignment film 11 on the glass substrate 7 as in the conventional technique. Then, the pair of electrode substrates 12 and 13 thus obtained has a frame-shaped epoxy resin or UV-curable resin applied to the alignment films 10 and 11 except for the liquid crystal injection port 5 after subjecting the alignment films 10 and 11 to a predetermined alignment treatment. After the liquid crystal 14 is injected into the space inside the seal material 4 through the liquid crystal injection port 5, the liquid crystal injection port 5 is closed with a sealing material (not shown). By doing so, the liquid crystal 14 is sealed.

As described above, in this embodiment, the color filter 2 and the black mask 3 having substantially the same thickness are extended to the peripheral portion on the glass substrate 1, and the application area of the sealing material 4 is entirely the color filter 2 or. Since it is included in the formation range of the black mask 3, there is no concern that a step will occur in the sealing material application region on the glass substrate 1, while the upper electrode substrate 13 without a color filter does not require any special measures. Since no step is formed in the application area, eventually, the four sides of the sealing material 4 are applied to a flat surface between the upper and lower electrode substrates 12 and 13, and the electrode substrate 12 due to the thickness of the color filter 2 is applied. , 13 is reliably prevented from being uneven, and good display quality can be expected. Further, in this embodiment, a complicated masking work (a parting process) that has been conventionally performed to prevent such gap unevenness.
Since it is unnecessary, there is no concern that the uneven gap prevention measures will deteriorate productivity, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced accordingly.

FIG. 3 is a main part explanatory view showing another embodiment of the color liquid crystal display device according to the present invention, in which the range of formation of the black mask at one end of the lower electrode substrate is different from that of the above embodiment.

That is, also in this embodiment, the color filter 2 and the black mask 3 are provided as in the case of the previous embodiment.
Extends to the peripheral portion on the glass substrate 1 including the application area of the sealing material 4. In this embodiment, the area where the liquid crystal injection port 5 overlaps on the glass substrate 1 is the black mask 3. It is set in the area not to be used. As a result, a sealing material (not shown) applied to the liquid crystal injection port 5 after the liquid crystal is injected.
This is convenient from the viewpoint of manufacturing control because the bite state can be easily seen. Although not shown, setting the cutting line of the glass substrate 1 in the non-formation region of the black mask 3 is more preferable in terms of manufacturing control.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing still another embodiment of the color liquid crystal display device according to the present invention, showing the positional relationship between the forming range of the color filter and the black mask and the sealant.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, a UV curable resin is used as the sealing material 4, and the range of formation of the color filter 2 outside the display area is widened in consideration of the sealing defect inspection. It differs from the previous examples. That is, in this embodiment, a region on the glass substrate 1 that overlaps with the short side portions 4a (the left and right belt-shaped portions in the figure) of the sealing material 4 extending substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of each color filter 2, In the present embodiment, the green color filter 2 having the highest light transmittance is formed in a wide area along the left and right sides of the glass substrate 1 in FIG. 4 short side 4a
All overlap with the green filter (G). In this way, the color filter 2 rather than the black mask 3 is set so as to overlap with the seal material 4 as much as possible, and in particular, the green filter having a higher light transmittance than the red filter and the blue filter overlaps with the seal material 4 as much as possible. If set, it becomes easy to perform a defect inspection of the sealing material 4 made of UV curable resin or the like, which is preferable in manufacturing control.

[0020]

As described above, in the color liquid crystal display element according to the present invention, the color filter and the black mask are extended to the peripheral portion of the substrate including the seal material application area, whereby a step is formed in the seal material application area. Since it does not occur, there is no possibility that the gap between the pair of electrode substrates joined via the sealing material will be uneven due to the influence of the thickness of the color filter, and there is an effect that the display quality is improved. Such a gap unevenness prevention measure only widens the formation range of the color filter and the black mask, does not worry about the deterioration of the productivity, and does not require a complicated masking work (a parting process) for the peripheral portion of the substrate unlike the prior art. Therefore, the manufacturing cost can be reduced. If the area overlapping the liquid crystal injection port is set to the area where the black mask does not exist, or if the color filters are set to overlap as much as possible with the sealing material, there is no risk of hindering manufacturing control.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional structural view of an essential part showing an embodiment of a color liquid crystal display device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a positional relationship between a seal material and a forming range of a color filter and a black mask in the same example.

FIG. 3 is a principal part explanatory view showing another embodiment of the color liquid crystal display element according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a positional relationship between a seal material and a formation range of a color filter and a black mask in still another embodiment of the color liquid crystal display device according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a positional relationship between a forming range of a color filter and a black mask and a sealing material in a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1,7 Glass substrate 2 Color filter 3 Black mask 4 Sealing material 5 Liquid crystal injection port 6 Common electrode 8 Segment electrode 12 Lower electrode substrate 13 Upper electrode substrate 14 Liquid crystal

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. One of the opposing electrode substrates has a color filter formed in a stripe shape, and a black mask formed at a position sandwiching each color filter in the width direction, and the pair of electrodes. A color liquid crystal display element, in which substrates are joined together via a sealant, and liquid crystal is sealed inside the sealant, wherein the color filter and the black mask extend at least to a region overlapping with the sealant. A color liquid crystal display element characterized by being provided. 2. The liquid crystal according to claim 1, wherein one of the electrode substrates on which the color filter and the black mask are formed is opened in the sealing material and is closed with a sealing material after the liquid crystal is injected. The area that overlaps the inlet,
A color liquid crystal display device characterized by being set in a region where the black mask does not exist. 3. The strip-shaped portion of one of the electrode substrates on which the color filter and the black mask are formed, which is a part of the sealing material and is substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of each color filter according to claim 1. A color liquid crystal display device, wherein an area overlapping with the color liquid crystal display element is set as a formation area of the color filter. 4. The color liquid crystal display element according to claim 3, wherein the color filter that overlaps with the band-shaped portion of the sealing material is a green filter.