JPH08194224A - Transfer plate for oriented film solution - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To enable formation of a second layer and the succeeding layers of an oriented film and patterning at one time by using a printing method which is conventionally used and has high productivity. CONSTITUTION: The transfer plane 11 of the transfer plate for a soln. of an oriented film consists or projections 12 continuously formed along parallel lines of a specified pitch like stripes as a whole and recesses 13 formed between the projections 12. Each projection 12 is 50μm high and 100μm wide, while each recess 13 is 100μm wide. When the second layer and the succeeding layers of an oriented film are transferred to the substrate where the first layer of the criented film is formed, the transfer plate for the soln. of the oriented film having the transfer plane 11 is attached to a printing device for an oriented film and a thin film of the soln. of the oriented film applied on the projections 12 of the transfer plane 11 is transferred to the substrate. Then the substrate is dried by heating to vaporize the solvent from the soln. of the oriented film to form the second and succeeding layers of the oriented film on the substrate.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a transfer plate of an alignment film solution used for manufacturing a liquid crystal panel.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, liquid crystal panels have been applied to word processors, liquid crystal televisions and the like, and have been greatly expected as display devices in various devices. In addition, in the trend of improving display quality, the trend is toward higher density and larger screens.

A liquid crystal panel has a structure in which liquid crystal is sandwiched between two glass substrates. At this time,
It is necessary to align the orientations of the liquid crystal molecules sandwiched between the two glass substrates in a certain direction. For this reason, an orientation film having a certain orientation is formed on the substrates. In order to form such an alignment film, a thin film of a polymeric substance is generally used. Spin coating method, roll coating method, printing method and the like are available as methods for forming the alignment film, but the printing method is often used because it is industrially inexpensive. This printing method is a method to which flexo (resin relief printing) is applied, in which the concave portion of the transfer plate is filled with the alignment film solution, and this is transferred to the substrate.
Then, the solvent is evaporated from the alignment film solution by heating to form the alignment film. The transfer plate used in this printing is
Those having circular convex portions on the lattice points have been used.

[0004]

With various demands on liquid crystal panels becoming stricter, the widening of the viewing angle has become particularly important. Several methods have been proposed as methods for expanding the viewing angle of a liquid crystal panel. 1 in this
There is a method of enlarging the viewing angle by forming a plurality of regions having different pretilt angles in one pixel or in the plane of the liquid crystal panel. In order to form regions having different pretilt angles, it is necessary to pattern two or more kinds of alignment film materials into arbitrary shapes. As a method for realizing this, there is a method in which two or more kinds of alignment films having different pretilt angles are overcoated and a photolithography technique is used to selectively remove an arbitrary region of the alignment film. But,
This method has a problem of high manufacturing cost.

It is an object of the present invention to simultaneously perform the formation and patterning of the second and subsequent alignment films by a conventionally used printing method having high productivity.

[0006]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the alignment film solution transfer plate of the present invention is an alignment film solution thin film formed on a transfer surface, which is transferred in an arbitrary shape onto a substrate. A membrane solution transfer plate, characterized in that it comprises projections formed along the continuous parallel lines on the transfer surface and arranged in stripes.

[0007]

According to the above alignment film solution transfer plate, after the first alignment film is formed on the substrate by the convex portions formed along the continuous parallel lines and arranged in stripes on the transfer surface,
By forming an alignment film solution thin film on the transfer surface and transferring the alignment film solution from the transfer surface to the substrate, the alignment film solution thin film on the upper surface of the convex portion is transferred onto the first alignment film of the substrate. The alignment film of the second layer is formed in a convex shape, and a region patterned in a stripe shape is formed by the alignment film of the second layer.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view of a transfer surface in an embodiment of an alignment film solution transfer plate of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic view of an alignment film printing apparatus on which the alignment film solution transfer plate is mounted, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view of a transfer surface of the alignment film solution transfer plate. 10 is an alignment film solution transfer plate formed of a material whose main component is resin, 11 is a transfer surface of the alignment film solution transfer plate 10, and 12 is a transfer surface.
The protrusions 12 are protrusions formed on the transfer surface 11. The protrusions 12 are continuously formed on the transfer surface 11 along parallel straight lines separated by a constant pitch, and are arranged in a striped shape as a whole. 13
Are concave portions formed between the convex portions 12 on the transfer surface 11.

Reference numeral 21 is a dispenser, 22 is an anilox roll, 23 is a doctor roll, 24 is a plate cylinder on which the alignment film solution transfer plates 10 and 30 are mounted, and 25 is a stage on which a substrate 26 is placed.

Further, 31 is a transfer surface of the alignment film solution transfer plate 30,
Reference numeral 32 is a convex portion arranged on the lattice point, and the tip end surface of the convex portion 32 is formed in a circular shape. 33 is a convex portion 32 on the transfer surface 31
It is a recess formed between.

Here, when the first layer of the alignment film is transferred to the substrate 26 by the alignment film printer, the alignment film solution transfer plate 30 is mounted on the plate cylinder 24, and the second layer of the substrate 26 is mounted on the substrate 26. When transferring the subsequent alignment film, the alignment film solution transfer plate is applied to the plate cylinder 24.
10 is installed.

First, in order to form the alignment film of the first layer,
A low pretilt angle alignment film solution RN-740 (manufactured by NISSAN CHEMICAL INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD.) Is used as an alignment film solution transfer plate 30 having circular protrusions 32.
Was transferred to the substrate 26 using.

When printing an alignment film, first, the alignment film solution is placed in the dispenser 21, dropped on the rotating anilox roll 22, and then the anilox roll 22 is rotated by a doctor roll 23 rotating at a constant linear velocity with the anilox roll 22. The upper alignment film solution is extended to make the film thickness uniform, and the alignment film solution having the uniform thickness is transferred to the alignment film solution transfer plate 30. At this time, the alignment film solution is filled in the recess 33 on the transfer surface 31 of the alignment film solution transfer plate 30. The alignment film solution filled in the recess 33 is transferred to the substrate 26 set on the stage 25 that moves in synchronization with the rotation of the plate cylinder 24. Then, the solvent is evaporated from the alignment film solution by heating and drying the substrate 26, and the first alignment film is formed on the substrate 26.

FIG. 4 is a measurement diagram of the film thickness of the first alignment film formed by the alignment film printer shown in FIG.
By transferring the alignment film solution onto the substrate 26 using the alignment film solution transfer plate 30, an alignment film having a substantially uniform thickness is formed on the substrate 26.

Next, in order to form a second-layer alignment film,
An alignment film solution AL3046 (manufactured by Japan Synthetic Rubber Co., Ltd.) having a high pretilt angle was transferred onto the substrate 26 by using the alignment film solution transfer plate 10 having the protrusions 12. Here, as the alignment film solution transfer plate 10, a protrusion 12 having a height of 50 μm, a width of 100 μm, and a recess 13 having a width of 100 μm was used. The formation of the alignment film of the second layer is performed in the same manner as in the first layer, but when the alignment film solution of the second layer is transferred to the substrate 26, the upper surface of the convex portion 12 on the transfer surface 11 is formed. The thin film of the alignment film solution formed on the substrate is transferred to the substrate. Then, the solvent is evaporated from the alignment film solution by heating and drying the substrate 26, and the second alignment film is formed on the substrate 26.

FIG. 5 is a measurement diagram of the film thickness of the first and second alignment films formed by the alignment film printer shown in FIG. After forming the first layer of alignment film on the substrate 26,
By transferring the alignment film solution onto the substrate 26 using the alignment film solution transfer plate 10, the second alignment film has a convex shape with a width of about 100 μm on the first alignment film of the substrate 26. Is formed. The alignment film of the second layer is continuously formed on the alignment film of the first layer along parallel straight lines separated by a constant pitch, and forms a striped region. At this time, since the transfer surface 11 can be formed in an arbitrary shape, the region formed in a stripe shape by the alignment film of the second layer can also be patterned in an arbitrary shape.

Further, according to the printing method described above, the first
Using an alignment film solution RN-753 with a high pretilt angle (manufactured by Nissan Chemical Industries, Ltd.) as an alignment film solution for forming the second alignment film, an alignment film solution for forming the second alignment film 6 and 7 show the measurement results of the film thickness when an alignment film was formed using the low pretilt angle alignment film solution AL1051 (manufactured by Japan Synthetic Rubber Co., Ltd.).

FIG. 6 is a measurement diagram of the film thickness of the first alignment film formed by the alignment film printing apparatus shown in FIG.
By transferring the alignment film solution onto the substrate 26 using the alignment film solution transfer plate 30, an alignment film having a substantially uniform thickness is formed on the substrate 26.

FIG. 7 is a measurement diagram of the film thickness of the first-layer and second-layer alignment films formed by the alignment-film printing apparatus shown in FIG. After forming the first layer of alignment film on the substrate 26,
By transferring the alignment film solution onto the substrate 26 using the alignment film solution transfer plate 10, the second alignment film has a convex shape with a width of about 100 μm on the first alignment film of the substrate 26. Is formed.

As described above, when the alignment film solution is transferred by the alignment film solution transfer plate 10 having the projections 12 arranged in stripes on the transfer surface 11, the second alignment film is formed. At the same time, the stripe-shaped region formed by the alignment film of the second layer having a different pretilt angle from that of the first layer can be patterned into an arbitrary shape.

[0021]

As described above, the alignment film solution transfer plate according to the claims of the present invention transfers the alignment film solution of the second and subsequent layers onto the substrate, whereby the alignment films of the second and subsequent layers are formed. At the same time as forming the second layer, the pretilt angle is different from that of the first layer.
It is possible to pattern the region formed in stripes by the alignment films in the layers after the first layer into an arbitrary shape.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a transfer surface in an embodiment of an alignment film solution transfer plate of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing an outline of an alignment film printing apparatus on which an alignment film solution transfer plate is mounted.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a transfer surface in a conventional alignment film solution transfer plate.

4 is a measurement diagram of a film thickness of a first-layer alignment film formed by the alignment film printing apparatus shown in FIG.

5 is a measurement diagram of the film thickness of the alignment film of the first layer and the second layer formed by the alignment film printer shown in FIG.

6 is a measurement diagram of the film thickness of a first-layer alignment film formed by the alignment film printing apparatus shown in FIG.

7 is a measurement diagram of the film thickness of the first-layer and second-layer alignment films formed by the alignment-film printing apparatus shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

10, 30… Alignment film solution transfer plate, 11, 31… Transfer surface, 12,
32 ... convex part, 13, 33 ... concave part, 21 ... dispenser,
22 ... Anilox roll, 23 ... Doctor roll, 24
… Plate cylinder, 25… Stage, 26… Substrate.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An alignment film solution transfer plate for transferring an alignment film solution thin film formed on a transfer surface in a desired shape onto a substrate, wherein stripes are formed along the parallel lines on the transfer surface. An alignment film solution transfer plate, which is provided with convex portions arranged in a pattern. 2. The alignment film solution transfer plate according to claim 1, which is formed of a material containing a resin as a main component.