JPH08334766A - Formation of thin film and device therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a method for formation of thin films capable of improving workability and a device therefor. CONSTITUTION: Two kinds of oriented film forming materials 15, 16 varying in pretilt angles are respectively ejected from two nozzles 13, 14 onto a transparent substrate 21, by which two kinds of the oriented films 17, 18 varying in the pretilt angles are formed in a stripe form on this transparent substrate 21. Then, two kinds of the oriented films 17, 18 varying in the pretilt angles are formable by one time of coating stage. The need for executing rubbing twice like with a mask rubbing method and patterning the oriented films after application of the oriented films twice like with a photolithography oriented film division method is eliminated, by which the number of working stages is decreased and workability is improved. Consequently, the manufacturing cost is reduced.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a thin film forming method and apparatus for forming a thin film such as an alignment film of a liquid crystal display element.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, in a liquid crystal display device, two transparent substrates made of glass or the like having alignment films provided on opposite surfaces are bonded to each other via a sealing material, and both transparent substrates inside the sealing material. There is a liquid crystal enclosed between them. In the method of manufacturing such a liquid crystal display element, when the alignment film is applied on the transparent substrate by a printing method, a flexographic printing apparatus as shown in FIG. 7 is generally used. In this flexographic printing apparatus, the table 2 on which the transparent substrate 1 is placed is indicated by the arrow X _L.
Direction or arrow X _R direction, a cylindrical plate cylinder 4 having a relief plate 3 made of resin or the like provided on the outer peripheral surface above the table 2 is provided rotatably in the arrow a direction. A cylindrical anilox roller 5 is rotatably provided in the direction of arrow b so as to face the plate cylinder 4 diagonally above and to the left of 4, and a cylindrical anilox roller 5 is provided on the left side of the anilox roller 5 so as to face the anilox roller 5. The structure is such that the doctor roller 6 is provided so as to be rotatable in the direction of arrow c.

In the method of forming an alignment film using such a flexographic printing apparatus, first, the table 2 is placed at the initial position, that is, the movement limit position in the direction of the arrow X _L , and the transparent substrate 1 is placed on the table 2. Next, Anilox Roller 5
The alignment film forming material 7 made of polyimide or the like was dropped between the doctor roller 6 and the doctor roller 6, the alignment film forming material 7 was transferred to the outer peripheral surface of the anilox roller 5, and was transferred to the outer peripheral surface of the anilox roller 5. Alignment film forming material 7 is applied to plate cylinder 4
Is applied to the upper surface of the transparent substrate 1 by transferring the alignment film forming material 7 transferred to the relief plate 3 onto the upper surface of the transparent substrate 1 while moving the table 2 in the arrow X _R direction. Then, when the alignment film forming material 7 is heated and cured, the alignment film 8 is formed on the transparent substrate 1. In addition, the alignment film 8 is formed on the transparent substrate 1.
Since the liquid crystal molecules cannot be aligned in the right and left directions and the liquid crystal molecules cannot be aligned in a predetermined direction only by forming, a method for aligning the liquid crystal molecules in a predetermined direction is generally rayon or cotton cloth. The process of rubbing the upper surface of the alignment film 8 on the transparent substrate 1 in a certain direction (rubbing process) is performed by the fibers.

Meanwhile, the liquid crystal display device has a problem of visual field characteristics in which the color, brightness, etc. of the screen change depending on the viewing direction and angle. For example, when the screen is viewed from above, the entire screen becomes whitish, while when viewed from below, the entire screen becomes dark, and light and darkness may be reversed especially in the black part of the image. . Since the liquid crystal has a refractive index anisotropy, a difference occurs in the refractive index components received by light in each direction. This is the cause of the visual field characteristics. The orientation division method has been proposed as a solution to this problem.
In this alignment division method, a plurality of regions having different liquid crystal alignments are generated in one pixel. For example, one pixel is divided into two minute regions, and the pretilt direction of liquid crystal molecules is made opposite to each other. There is something.

[0005]

However, in the conventional alignment film forming method using such a flexographic printing apparatus,
Since only one kind of alignment film can be applied in one application process, if an alignment division method is applied, after applying the alignment film on the upper surface of the transparent substrate, the first rubbing is applied to the entire surface, A mask rubbing method in which a second rubbing (reverse direction) is performed using a predetermined mask, or two kinds of alignment films having different pretilt angles under the same rubbing conditions are sequentially applied to the upper surface of the transparent substrate, and photolithography is performed. It is necessary to use a photolithography alignment film division method or the like in which patterning is performed so that a minute region of each alignment film is formed on each pixel, the resist is peeled off, and then a rubbing process is performed. However, in the mask rubbing method, rubbing needs to be performed twice, and in the photolithography alignment film dividing method, it is necessary to pattern the alignment film after applying the alignment film twice, which increases the number of working steps. There was a problem that workability was reduced. On the other hand, in the rubbing process, fibers such as rayon and cotton cloth rub the upper surface of the alignment film on the transparent substrate in a certain direction, so static electricity, fiber scraps, and alignment film scraps are generated. In the case of an active matrix type liquid crystal display element, static electricity may destroy a thin film transistor, and the generation of fiber scraps or scraps of an alignment film may cause a decrease in charge retention rate, a burning phenomenon, or alignment unevenness. However, there is a problem that the yield is reduced. The same problem occurs in other alignment film forming methods such as the spin coater method and the screen printing method. A first object of the present invention is to provide a thin film forming method and apparatus capable of improving workability.
A second object of the present invention is to provide a thin film forming method and an apparatus thereof capable of improving the yield.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, which achieves the first object, a plurality of nozzles are provided while moving at least one of a substrate and a plurality of nozzles arranged on the substrate. The nozzle of (1) ejects the alignment film forming material onto the substrate to form the alignment film according to a predetermined array pattern. According to a third aspect of the invention for attaining the second object, in the invention according to the first aspect, the plurality of nozzles form an alignment film forming material so that a fine uneven alignment film is formed on a substrate in a predetermined direction. Is to eject. According to a fourth aspect of the invention for achieving the first object, a table on which a substrate is placed and a plurality of kinds of alignment film forming materials having different pretilt angles of liquid crystals arranged on the surface for the same alignment treatment are provided. A plurality of nozzles ejecting in synchronization with different regions on the substrate, and a means for moving at least one of the table and the plurality of nozzles are provided.

[0007]

According to the first and fourth aspects of the invention, the alignment film forming material is ejected from each of the plurality of nozzles onto the substrate to form the alignment film on the substrate according to a predetermined arrangement pattern. For example, in the method of forming an alignment film of a liquid crystal display element, a plurality of kinds of alignment films having different pretilt angles can be formed in one coating step, and rubbing is performed twice or photolithography alignment as in the mask rubbing method. Unlike the film division method, it is not necessary to pattern the alignment film after applying the alignment film twice, and the number of working steps can be reduced and workability can be improved. According to the third aspect of the present invention, the alignment film forming material is ejected from each of the plurality of nozzles onto the substrate to form the alignment film in the form of fine unevenness on the substrate, so that the liquid crystal molecules are aligned in a predetermined direction. It is possible to obtain a uniform alignment state without rubbing treatment, static electricity or scraps of fibers, scraps of the alignment film are not generated, and the thin film transistor is not destroyed by static electricity. The production of scraps and scraps of the alignment film does not cause a decrease in the charge retention rate, a phenomenon of baking, or uneven alignment, and the yield can be improved.

[0008]

1 and 2 show an alignment film forming method to which a first embodiment of the present invention is applied. Therefore,
In order to describe the method for forming an alignment film with reference to these drawings, first, an apparatus for forming an alignment film used in this method for forming an alignment film will be described. In this alignment film forming apparatus,
The table 11 is moved by an arrow X _L by a moving means (not shown).
Direction or an arrow X _R direction, and a jetting means 12 having a belt-like lower surface is provided above the table 11 so as to be movable in an arrow Z _U direction or an arrow Z _D direction by a moving means (not shown). It has a structure. Ejection means 12
A plurality of pairs of left and right nozzles 13 and 14 are provided on the lower surface of the device at predetermined intervals from the front side to the back side. Each of the nozzles 13 and 14 is an inkjet type nozzle, and is of an on-demand type, a continuous type, a bubble jet type, or the like. On the lower surface of each nozzle 13 on the left side, an ejection hole 1 for ejecting a low-pretilt alignment film forming material (thin film forming material) 15 made of polyimide or the like.
3a are provided, and ejection holes 14a for ejecting a high-pretilt alignment film forming material (thin film forming material) 16 made of polyimide or the like are provided on the lower surface of each nozzle 14 on the right side.

Next, referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, in the case of using the alignment film forming apparatus to form an alignment film on a lower transparent substrate made of glass or the like in a liquid crystal display element. Will be described. First, the table 11 is positioned at the initial position, that is, the movement limit position in the arrow X _L direction, and the lower transparent substrate 21 is placed on the table 11. in this case,
Gate lines (scanning electrodes) 22 and drain lines (signal electrodes) 23 are provided in a grid pattern on the lower transparent substrate 21 in advance, and the thin film transistor 2 is provided in the vicinity of the intersections thereof.
4 is provided, and a pixel electrode 25, which is slightly smaller than this, is provided in the remaining portion of each lattice except the thin film transistor (display driving element) 24. Further, the lower transparent substrate 21 is arranged so that the drain line 23 is orthogonal to the arrow X _L direction or the arrow X _R direction. Next, the ejection means 12 is positioned at the lower limit position, that is, the movement limit position in the arrow Z _D direction. In this state, the ejection means 12 is located above the pixel electrode 25 in the first column from the right of the lower transparent substrate 21, and the ejection holes 13a of the nozzles 13 on the left side are arranged in the pixel electrodes 25 in the first column from the right. Of the nozzles 14 on the right side are located above the right half of the pixel electrodes 25 in the first column from the right. Next, each left nozzle 13
Material 1 for forming an alignment film having a low pretilt from the ejection holes 13a of
5 and jetting holes 1 of each right side nozzle 14
When the high-pretilt alignment film forming material 16 is ejected from 4a, the low-pretilt alignment film forming material 15 is applied to the left half part of each pixel electrode 25 in the first column and the upper surface around the left half part of the pixel electrode 25. The high-pretilt alignment film forming material 16 is applied to the right half of each pixel electrode 25 and the upper surface around it. In this case, the gate line 22, the drain line 23, the thin film transistor 2 around each pixel electrode 25
A low pretilt alignment film forming material 15 or a high pretilt alignment film forming material 16 is applied to the upper surface of 4 or the like from the nearest nozzles 13 and 14, respectively.

Next, the table 11 is moved in the direction of the arrow X _R so that the ejection holes 13a of the nozzles 13 on the left side are moved from the right to the right side.
It is located above the left half of each pixel electrode 25 in the second column, and the ejection holes 14a of the nozzles 14 on the right are located above the right half of each pixel electrode 25 in the second column from the right. Similarly, the low-pretilt alignment film forming material 15 is applied to the left half of each pixel electrode 25 in the second column and the upper surface around it.
The high-pretilt alignment film forming material 16 is applied to the right half of each pixel electrode 25 in the second column and the upper surface around it.
Similarly, while moving the table 11 in the direction of the arrow X _R , a low-pretilt alignment film forming material 15 is applied to the upper surface of the left half of each pixel electrode 25 in each column until the final column, and each column in each column is coated. A high-pretilt alignment film forming material 16 is applied to the upper surface of the right half of the pixel electrode 25. In this way, after the alignment film forming materials 15 and 16 are applied in stripes on the entire surface of the lower transparent substrate 21, the entire alignment film forming materials 15 and 16 are cured by heating the whole, and each pixel is formed. The low-pretilt alignment film 17 is formed on the left half of the electrode 25 and the surrounding upper surface thereof, and the high-pretilt alignment film 18 is formed on the right half of the pixel electrode 25 and the surrounding upper surface thereof. Next, using a fiber such as rayon or cotton cloth, the lower transparent substrate 2
A rubbing process is performed by rubbing the upper surfaces of the alignment films 17 and 18 on 1 in a certain direction.

Next, referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B, a case of forming an alignment film on an upper transparent substrate made of glass or the like in a liquid crystal display element using this alignment film forming apparatus will be described. explain. First, the table 11 is positioned at the initial position, and the upper transparent substrate 31 is placed on the table 11.
Is placed. In this case, a color filter 32 is provided on the upper transparent substrate 31 in advance corresponding to the pixel electrode 25 of the lower transparent substrate 21, a black mask 33 is provided around the color filter 32, and the color filter 32 is provided. Further, a common electrode 34 made of ITO or the like is provided on the upper surface of the black mask 33 via an overcoat film (not shown). The upper transparent substrate 31 has an arrow X at a position corresponding to the drain line 23 of the lower transparent substrate 21.
It is arranged so as to be orthogonal to the _L direction or the arrow X _R direction.
Next, the ejection means 12 is arranged above the color filter 32 in the first row from the right of the upper transparent substrate 31, and the ejection holes 13a of the nozzles 13 on the left side are arranged on the left side of the color filters 32 in the first row from the right. Located on the top of the half, each right nozzle 14
Of the color filters 32 in the first row from the right
Located above the right half of the. Next, each left nozzle 1
When the low pretilt alignment film forming material 15 is ejected from the ejection holes 13a of No. 3 and the high pretilt alignment film forming material 16 is ejected from the ejection holes 14a of the nozzles 14 on the respective right sides, 1
The low-pretilt alignment film forming material 15 is applied to the upper surface of the common electrode 34 corresponding to the left half of each color filter 32 in the column and the periphery thereof, and the right half of each color filter 32 in the first column and its part. Common electrode 34 corresponding to the surroundings
A high pretilt alignment film forming material 16 is applied to the upper surface of the. In this case, on the upper surface of the common electrode 34 corresponding to the black mask 33 around each color filter 32,
Alignment film forming material 15 with low pretilt or alignment film forming material 1 with high pretilt from the nearest nozzles 13 and 14.
6 is applied.

Next, the table 11 is moved in the direction of the arrow X _R so that the ejection holes 13a of the nozzles 13 on the left side are moved from the right to the right side.
It is located above the left half of each color filter 32 in the second row, and the ejection holes 14a of the right nozzles 14 are located above the right half of each color filter 32 in the second row from the right.
Similar to the first row, the low-pretilt alignment film forming material 15 is applied to the upper surface of the common electrode 34 corresponding to the left half of each color filter 32 in the second row and its periphery, and each color filter in the second row is coated. The high-pretilt alignment film forming material 16 is applied to the upper surface of the common electrode 34 corresponding to the right half of 32 and its periphery. Similarly, the table 11 is moved to the arrow X
While moving in the _R direction, a low pre-tilt alignment film forming material 15 is applied to the upper surface of the common electrode 34 corresponding to the left half of each color filter 32 in each row and its periphery to the last row, and each row in each row is coated. The high-pretilt alignment film forming material 16 is applied to the upper surface of the common electrode 34 corresponding to the right half of the color filter 32 and its periphery. In this way,
After the alignment film forming materials 15 and 16 are applied in stripes on the entire upper surface of the common electrode 34, the entire alignment film forming materials 15 and 16 are heated to cure the alignment film forming materials 15 and 16.
The low pretilt alignment film 17 is formed on the upper surface of the common electrode 34 corresponding to the left half of FIG. 2 and its periphery, and the high pretilt is formed on the upper surface of the common electrode 34 corresponding to the right half of each color filter 32 and its periphery. The alignment film 18 is formed.
Next, rubbing treatment is performed by rubbing the upper surfaces of the alignment films 17 and 18 on the upper transparent substrate 31 in a certain direction with fibers such as rayon or cotton cloth.

Then, as shown in FIG. 3, an alignment film 17 having a low pretilt and an alignment film 1 having a high pretilt are provided on opposite surfaces.
Two transparent substrates 21 in which 8 and 8 are formed in a stripe shape,
31 is pasted through the sealing material 35, and the sealing material 35
A liquid crystal 36 is sealed between the transparent substrates 21 and 31 inside the substrate. In this case, the high-pretilt alignment film 18 of the upper transparent substrate 31 faces the low-pretilt alignment film 17 of the lower transparent substrate 21, and the high-pretilt alignment film 18 of the lower transparent substrate 21 is transparent to the upper side. The low-pretilt alignment film 17 of the substrate 31 faces. Therefore, the liquid crystal 3 for one pixel
Two regions having different orientations of 6 can be formed,
The viewing angle can be widened.

As described above, in this alignment film forming method and apparatus, two kinds of alignment film forming materials 15 and 16 having different pretilt angles are jetted from the two nozzles 13 and 14 onto the transparent substrates 21 and 31, respectively. Transparent substrate 21,
Two kinds of alignment films 17 and 1 having different pretilt angles are formed on the film 31.
Since 8 can be formed in a stripe shape, two types of alignment films 17 having different pretilt angles can be formed in one coating step.
No. 18 can be formed, and it is not necessary to perform rubbing twice like the mask rubbing method or to apply the alignment film twice like the photolithography alignment film division method and then pattern the alignment film. Reduce the number of work steps,
Workability can be improved. As a result, the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

Although the present invention is applied to the alignment film forming method and the apparatus thereof in the first embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this and can be applied to, for example, a color filter forming method and the apparatus thereof. In this case, it is not necessary to perform patterning for each color filter of the color filter like the dispersion method or the dyeing method, or to form a film for each color filter of the color filter like the offset printing method or the flexo printing method. The number can be reduced and workability can be improved. Further, in the first embodiment, two regions having different liquid crystal alignments are formed for one pixel, but the present invention is not limited to this, and two or more kinds of alignment film forming materials having different pretilt angles are combined. Two or more regions having different orientations may be formed.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show an alignment film forming method to which the second embodiment of the present invention is applied. In these figures, parts having the same names as those in FIGS. 1 and 2 are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted as appropriate. Therefore, in order to describe the alignment film forming method with reference to these drawings, first, the alignment film forming apparatus used in this alignment film forming method will be described. In this alignment film forming apparatus, a jetting means 41 having a strip-shaped lower surface is provided above the table 11 so as to be movable in the arrow Z _U direction or the arrow Z _D direction by a moving means (not shown). On the lower surface of the ejection means 41,
A plurality of ink jet type nozzles 42 are provided in a mosaic pattern vertically and horizontally at predetermined intervals. Each nozzle 4
A rectangular ejection hole 4 for ejecting an alignment film forming material (thin film forming material) 43 made of polyimide or the like is formed on the lower surface of 2.
2a is provided. In this case, the ejection holes 42a are provided in the major axis direction at intervals of about 2 μm or less.

Next, referring to FIGS. 4A and 4B, in the case where the alignment film forming apparatus is used to form an alignment film on a lower transparent substrate made of glass or the like in a liquid crystal display element. Will be described. First, the table 11 is placed at the initial position, and the lower transparent substrate 21 is placed on the table 11.
Is placed. In this case, an insulating film 44 made of polyimide or the like is previously provided on the lower transparent substrate 21 so as to cover the gate line 22, the drain line 23, the thin film transistor 24, and the pixel electrode 25. Further, the lower transparent substrate 21 is arranged so that the drain line 23 is orthogonal to the arrow X _L direction or the arrow X _R direction. Next, when the ejection means 41 is located at the lower limit position, the ejection means 41 is located above the pixel electrode 25 in the first column from the right.
Next, when the alignment film forming material 43 is ejected from the ejection holes 42a of each nozzle 42, the alignment film forming material 43 is formed on each pixel electrode 25 in the first column and the insulating film 44 corresponding to the periphery thereof.
Is applied to a fine striped uneven shape. In this case, a plurality of microscopic bodies 43a made of a rectangular parallelepiped alignment film forming material 43 corresponding to the ejection holes 42a of each nozzle 42.
Are arranged in a mosaic pattern so that their long axes are parallel to the gate lines 22.

Next, the table 11 is moved in the direction of the arrow X _R so that the ejection means 41 is located above the pixel electrode 25 in the second column from the right, and each pixel electrode in the second column is the same as in the first column. Two
The alignment film forming material 43 is applied in the form of fine stripes on the insulating film 44 corresponding to 5 and its periphery. Similarly, while moving the table 11 in the direction of the arrow X _R , the alignment film forming material 43 is formed into fine stripe-shaped unevenness on the insulating film 44 corresponding to each pixel electrode 25 in each column and its periphery up to the final column. Apply to shape. In this way, the alignment film forming material 43 is applied to the entire upper surface of the insulating film 44 on the lower transparent substrate 21 in the form of fine stripe-shaped irregularities, and the whole is heated to form the alignment film forming material 43. After curing, the alignment film 45 is formed in the shape of fine stripes on the entire upper surface of the insulating film 44 on the lower transparent substrate 21. In this case, in the alignment film 45, a plurality of rectangular parallelepiped alignment film fine bodies 45 a are arranged in a mosaic shape so that their long axes are parallel to the gate lines 22.

Next, referring to FIGS. 5A and 5B, in the case of using this alignment film forming apparatus to form an alignment film on the upper transparent substrate made of glass or the like in a liquid crystal display element. explain. First, the table 11 is positioned at the initial position, and the upper transparent substrate 31 is placed on the table 11.
Is placed. In this case, on the upper transparent substrate 31, the insulating film 4 made of polyimide or the like is previously provided on the upper surfaces of the color filter 32 and the black mask 33 via the common electrode 34.
6 is provided. In addition, the upper transparent substrate 31 is arranged so that the portion corresponding to the gate line 22 of the lower transparent substrate 21 is orthogonal to the arrow X _L direction or the arrow X _R direction. Next, the ejection means 41 is positioned above the color filter 32 in the first row from the right of the upper transparent substrate 31. Next, when the alignment film forming material 43 is ejected from the ejection holes 42a of each nozzle 42, the alignment film forming material 43 is finely formed on the upper surface of each color filter 32 in the first row and the insulating film 46 corresponding to the periphery thereof. It is applied in a striped uneven shape. In this case, the plurality of minute bodies 43a made of the alignment film forming material 43 having a rectangular parallelepiped shape corresponding to the ejection holes 42a of each nozzle 42 have their long axes in the transparent substrate 21 on the lower side of the transparent substrate 31 on the upper side. It is arranged in a mosaic shape so as to be parallel to the portion corresponding to the drain line 23. next,
The table 11 is moved in the direction of the arrow X _R , and the ejection means 4
1 is positioned above the color filters 32 in the second row from the right, and the alignment film forming material 43 is provided on the upper surface of each color filter 32 in the second row and the insulating film 46 corresponding to the periphery thereof in the same manner as in the first row. It is applied to fine stripe-shaped irregularities.
Similarly, while moving the table 11 in the direction of the arrow X _R , the alignment film forming material 43 is formed into fine stripes on the upper surface of the insulating film 46 corresponding to each color filter 32 in each column and its periphery up to the final column. Apply to uneven shapes. In this way, the alignment film forming material 43 is applied on the entire upper surface of the insulating film 46 on the upper transparent substrate 31 in the form of fine stripe-shaped irregularities, and the whole is heated to cure the alignment film forming material 43. Then, the alignment film 45 is formed in the shape of fine stripes on the entire upper surface of the insulating film 46 on the upper transparent substrate 31. In this case, the alignment film 45 includes a plurality of rectangular parallelepiped alignment film micro-objects 45a whose long axis is the drain line 23 of the lower transparent substrate 21 in the upper transparent substrate 31.
Are arranged in a mosaic pattern so as to be parallel to the location corresponding to.

Then, as shown in FIG. 6, two transparent substrates 21 and 31 each having an orientation film 45 formed in a fine stripe-shaped concavo-convex shape on the surfaces facing each other are bonded via a sealing material 35, Both transparent substrates 21 and 3 inside the sealing material 35
The liquid crystal 36 is sealed between the two. In this case, since the molecules of the liquid crystal 36 are aligned in a predetermined direction, a uniform alignment state can be obtained without rubbing treatment. Both transparent substrates 21 and 3
The alignment directions of the alignment film minute bodies 45a of the two alignment films 45 of No. 1 are orthogonal to each other.

As described above, in the alignment film forming method and the apparatus thereof, the alignment film forming material 4 is formed from the plurality of nozzles 42.
3 is jetted onto the transparent substrates 21 and 31, respectively, and the alignment film 45 is formed on the transparent substrates 21 and 31 in the form of fine stripe-shaped irregularities, so that liquid crystal molecules can be aligned in a predetermined direction, and rubbing is performed. A uniform alignment state can be obtained without treatment, static electricity, fiber scraps, and alignment film scraps do not occur, and static electricity does not destroy the thin film transistor, and fiber scraps and alignment film The generation of waste does not cause a decrease in the charge retention rate, a phenomenon of baking, or uneven alignment, and the yield can be improved. Further, since the rubbing process is unnecessary, it is possible to reduce the number of working processes and improve workability, and as a result, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost.

In the second embodiment, the alignment film forming material 43 is made up of the gate line 2 whose major axis is the minute body 43a.
However, the present invention is not limited to this, and if the transparent substrates 21 and 31 are placed obliquely with respect to the moving direction of the table 11, the alignment film forming material 43 can be applied in a minute amount. The long axis of the body 43a is the gate line 2
2 or the drain line 23 can be applied obliquely. In addition, in the above-mentioned first and second embodiments, the table 1 is operated without moving the ejection means 12 and 41.
Although 1 is moved in the horizontal direction, conversely, the ejection means 12 and 41 may be moved in the horizontal direction without moving the table 11. In the first and second embodiments, the alignment films 17, 18, 45 are formed on the entire surfaces of the transparent substrates 21, 31, but the invention is not limited to this, and the alignment films 17, 18, 45 are formed on the pixel electrodes 25 and the color filters 32. You may make it form only. Further, in the above-mentioned first and second embodiments, the case where the pixel electrodes 25 and the color filters 32 are arranged orthogonally has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can be applied to the case where they are arranged in a delta, for example. Also, the first
In the second embodiment, the nozzles 13, 14, 42 are ink jet type nozzles, but the present invention is not limited to this, and any device that ejects the alignment film forming materials 15, 16, 43 may be used. Further, in the above-mentioned first and second embodiments, the ejection means 12 and 41 are provided in one direction of the horizontal plane so as to correspond to the pixel electrodes 25 in one row or the color filters 32 in one row, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the ejection means 12 and 41 may be provided so as to correspond to one pixel electrode 25 or one color filter 32.
Furthermore, all pixel electrodes 25 or all color filters 32
The ejection means 12 and 41 may be provided so as to correspond to. In this case, the table 11 or the ejection means 1
The alignment film forming materials 15, 16 and 43 can be applied at one time without moving 2 and 41 in the horizontal direction. In addition, in the first and second embodiments, the ejection means 12,
41 ejected the materials 15, 16 and 43 in synchronization in each row, but the material is not limited to this and may be ejected sequentially depending on the type and position of the material. Furthermore, although the active matrix type liquid crystal display element has been described in the first and second embodiments, the present invention is not limited to this and can be applied to other liquid crystal display elements.

[0023]

As described above, the first and fourth aspects are provided.
According to the invention described above, the alignment film forming material is ejected from each of the plurality of nozzles onto the substrate to form the alignment film on the substrate according to a predetermined array pattern. In the method, a plurality of kinds of alignment films having different pretilt angles can be formed by one coating process, and rubbing is performed twice like a mask rubbing method, or alignment is performed like a photolithography alignment film dividing method. It is not necessary to pattern the alignment film after applying the film twice, so that the number of working steps can be reduced and the workability can be improved. As a result, the manufacturing cost can be reduced. According to the third aspect of the present invention, the alignment film forming material is ejected from each of the plurality of nozzles onto the substrate to form the alignment film in the form of fine unevenness on the substrate, so that the liquid crystal molecules are aligned in a predetermined direction. It is possible to obtain a uniform alignment state without rubbing treatment, static electricity or scraps of fibers, scraps of the alignment film are not generated, and the thin film transistor is not destroyed by static electricity. The production of scraps and scraps of the alignment film does not cause a decrease in the charge retention rate, a phenomenon of baking, or uneven alignment, and the yield can be improved. Further, since the rubbing process is unnecessary, it is possible to reduce the number of working processes and improve workability, and as a result, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1A is a plan view showing a method for forming an alignment film on a lower transparent substrate in the method for forming an alignment film to which the first embodiment of the present invention is applied, and FIG. Sectional drawing which follows the B line.

FIG. 2A is a plan view showing a method of forming an alignment film on an upper transparent substrate in the same method of forming an alignment film; FIG.
Is a sectional view taken along the line BB.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a liquid crystal display element having an alignment film formed by the same alignment film forming method.

FIG. 4A is a plan view showing a method for forming an alignment film on a lower transparent substrate in a method for forming an alignment film to which the second embodiment of the present invention is applied, and FIG. Sectional drawing which follows the B line.

FIG. 5A is a plan view showing a method for forming an alignment film on an upper transparent substrate in the same method for forming an alignment film; FIG.
Is a sectional view taken along the line BB.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a liquid crystal display element having an alignment film formed by the same alignment film forming method.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional alignment film forming method.

[Explanation of symbols]

11 table 12, 41 jetting means 13, 14, 42 nozzles 13a, 14a, 42a jetting holes 15, 16, 43 alignment film forming material (thin film forming material) 17, 18, 45 alignment film 21, 31 transparent substrate

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. While moving at least one of a substrate and a plurality of nozzles arranged on the substrate, the plurality of nozzles respectively eject an alignment film forming material onto the substrate, A method of forming a thin film, which comprises forming an alignment film according to a predetermined array pattern. 2. The plurality of nozzles respectively eject a plurality of kinds of alignment film forming materials having different pretilt angles of liquid crystals arranged on the surface for the same alignment treatment to different regions on the substrate. Claim 1 characterized by
The thin film forming method described. 3. The plurality of nozzles ejects the alignment film-forming material so as to form a fine uneven alignment film in a predetermined direction on the substrate.
The thin film forming method described. 4. A table on which a substrate is placed and a plurality of kinds of alignment film forming materials having different pretilt angles of liquid crystals arranged on the surface for the same alignment treatment are synchronized with different regions on the substrate, respectively. A thin film forming apparatus, comprising: a plurality of nozzles ejected as a result, and a means for moving at least one of the table and the plurality of nozzles. 5. The thin film forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the nozzle is an ink jet type nozzle.