JPH09138416A - Method for arranging spacer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make it possible to arrange spacers at the desired points on a substrate. SOLUTION: A transfer body 3 has a structure provided with a letterpress 6 consisting of a resin, etc., on the surface of a main body part 5 of a cylindrical shape consisting of a metal, etc. The arrangement of the spacers 1 atop an oriented film 13 formed on a lower substrate 8 by using the transfer body 3 is executed by adhering the spacers 1 to the surface of the letterpress 6 of the transfer body 3 and pressing the transfer body 3 onto the oriented film 13 while rotating the transfer body 3 in an arrow(a) direction to transfer the spacers 1 adhered on the surface of the letterpress 6 onto the oriented film 13, thereby arranging the spacers 1 atop the oriented film 13. Then, the spacers 1 are arranged at the desired points on the lower substrate 8 by forming the letterpress 6 so as to correspond to the desired points on the lower substrate 8.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a spacer arranging method in a liquid crystal display device manufacturing method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in a liquid crystal display device, two substrates having transparent electrodes and an alignment film on opposite surfaces are bonded to each other with a spacer interposed therebetween, and a seal is formed. The structure is such that liquid crystal is enclosed between both substrates inside the material. In this case, the spacer is made of particles of glass, resin, or the like having a certain size, and is for maintaining a constant gap (gap) between both substrates with high precision and making the display quality of liquid crystal uniform.

By the way, in order to arrange the spacers between the two substrates, a method of spraying the spacers on the upper surface of the substrates is generally adopted. The method of spraying the spacer includes a dry spray method and a wet spray method. In the dry spraying method, the spacers are transported by a gas such as nitrogen gas or dry air, and the spacers are sprayed from the nozzle onto the substrate to spray the spacers on the substrate. On the other hand, in the wet spraying method, spacers are previously dispersed in a solvent such as liquefied chlorofluorocarbon, alcohol, and pure water, sprayed onto the substrate from a nozzle, and then dried to evaporate the solvent completely, and the spacers are removed from the substrate. It is sprayed on.

[0004]

However, in such a conventional dry spraying method or wet spraying method, spacers are sprayed or sprayed from nozzles, and thus the sprayed spacers are randomly distributed on the substrate. It was dispersed, and it was not possible to spray the spacers only to predetermined portions on the substrate. Therefore, for example, in a case where a portion of the alignment film corresponding to the thin film transistor is projected, such as an active matrix type liquid crystal display element, when a spacer is arranged in the projecting portion, both substrates are pressed and bonded together. However, there is a problem that the thin film transistor may be crushed and damaged by the spacer. Also, with these spraying methods, it is difficult to spread them evenly over the substrate,
In particular, when the liquid crystal layer thickness is strictly set, such as a display element using a ferroelectric liquid crystal, display unevenness may occur due to defective alignment. As a solution to this problem, a method has been devised in which spacers are scattered only on a predetermined portion of a substrate using a predetermined mask. However, when a plurality of masks are used, the number of steps increases and workability becomes poor. Therefore, the manufacturing cost becomes high. Furthermore, in these spraying methods, the sprayed spacers fly in the spray tank, so most of them are discharged at the exhaust stage, and only a few percent of the sprayed spacers are fixed on the substrate, and the spacers are wasteful. .
An object of the present invention is to be able to arrange a spacer at a desired position on a substrate.

[0005]

According to the present invention, a spacer is attached to a predetermined position of a transfer body corresponding to a predetermined position on a substrate, and the spacer attached to the transfer body is transferred onto the substrate,
The spacer is arranged at a predetermined position on the substrate.

According to the present invention, the spacer is attached to a predetermined portion of the transfer body corresponding to the predetermined location on the substrate, the transfer body is pressed against the substrate, and the spacer attached to the transfer body is transferred onto the substrate. Therefore, if the spacer is attached to a predetermined portion of the transfer body corresponding to the desired portion on the substrate, the spacer can be arranged at the desired portion on the substrate.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment of a spacer arranging method and apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. This spacer arranging device is a tray (spacer accommodating means) accommodating a large number of spacers 1 made of particles of glass or resin having a certain size.
2 and a transfer body 3 which is movably provided in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction and is rotatably provided in the arrow a direction.
And a table 4 provided so as to be movable in the horizontal direction (including the direction of arrow b). The transfer body 3 has a structure in which a relief plate 6 made of resin or the like is provided on the surface of a cylindrical main body 5 made of metal or the like. Square-shaped openings 7 are provided at predetermined positions in the circumferential direction and the axial direction of the relief plate 6 at predetermined intervals.

Next, using this spacer placement device,
For example, a spacer arranging method for arranging the spacer 1 between two substrates of a liquid crystal display element will be described. First, FIG.
As shown in (A) and (B), the transfer member 3 is placed in the tray 2.
Place them facing each other on top. Next, when the transfer body 3 is pressed against the spacer 1 while being rotated in the direction of arrow a, the spacer 1 is attached to a predetermined portion of the surface of the relief plate 6 excluding the opening 7 of the transfer body 3. In this case, for example, if the spacer 1 is moistened with pure water or the like, or the surface of the relief plate 6 is moistened with pure water or the like, the spacer 1 is easily attached to the surface of the relief plate 6. Next, FIG.
As shown in (A) and (B), a transparent lower substrate 8 made of glass or the like is placed on the upper surface of the table 4. Gate lines (scanning electrodes) 9 and drain lines (signal electrodes) 10 are formed in a grid pattern on the upper surface of the lower substrate 8 in advance, and thin film transistors (switching elements) 11 are formed in the vicinity of their intersections. Pixel electrodes 12 are formed on the remaining portion of each lattice except the thin film transistor 11, and an alignment film 13 is formed on the upper surface of the lower substrate 8 including these.
Is provided. Next, the transfer body 3 is positioned and arranged on the lower substrate 8. Next, when the lower substrate 8 is moved in the direction of arrow b and the transfer body 3 is pressed against the upper surface of the alignment film 13 while rotating in the direction of arrow a, the spacers 1 attached to the relief plate 6 of the transfer body 3 are aligned. It is sequentially transferred to the upper surface of 13. In this case, since the openings 7 of the relief plate 6 correspond to the portions of the thin film transistors 11 on the lower substrate 8, the spacers 1 are transferred to the upper surface of the alignment film 13 corresponding to the portions of the thin film transistors 11. Not done. As a result, the spacers 1 are arranged on the upper surface of the alignment film 13 at predetermined positions corresponding to the portions excluding the thin film transistors 11. The remaining spacers 1 on the transfer body 3 are wiped off and collected by a cleaning device (not shown). Hereinafter, although not shown, when the upper substrate is bonded onto the lower substrate 8 with a sealing material interposed therebetween, spacers are formed at predetermined locations between the lower substrate 8 and the upper substrate except for the thin film transistors 11. 1 is placed.

As described above, in the method of disposing the spacer and the apparatus therefor, the spacer 1 is attached to the relief plate 6 of the transfer body 3 corresponding to a predetermined position on the lower substrate 8, and the lower side of the transfer body 3 is rotated while rotating. Since the spacer 1 attached to the relief plate 6 is pressed onto the substrate 8 and transferred onto the lower substrate 8, a desired portion on the lower substrate 8 (a portion other than the thin film transistor)
By forming the relief plate 6 so as to correspond to the above, the spacer 1 can be arranged at a desired portion (a portion excluding the thin film transistor) of the lower substrate 8. In addition, the alignment film 13
Since the spacer 1 is arranged at a predetermined position corresponding to the portion excluding the thin film transistor 11 on the upper surface of the alignment film 13,
Even if the part corresponding to the thin film transistor 11 is projected, the distance between the both substrates 8 can be made uniform, and when the both substrates 8 are pressed and bonded together, the spacer 1 crushes the thin film transistor 11 and The thin film transistor 11 is not damaged. Further, since the necessary amount of the spacer 1 is attached to the relief plate 6 of the transfer body 3 and transferred, the spacer 1 is not wasted.

A second embodiment of the spacer arranging method and apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. In this figure, the same parts as those in FIGS. 1 and 2 are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted as appropriate. In this spacer placement device, the main body 5 of the transfer body 3 is made of a conductive material such as metal, and the relief plate 6 is made of an insulating material such as resin. At a predetermined position inside the main body 5, an adhesion charger 15 that charges the relief plate 6 to a polarity opposite to the polarity of the spacer 1 charged by friction or the like is provided. At another predetermined position inside the main body 5, the separation charger 1 that charges the relief plate 6 to the same polarity as the spacer 1
6 are provided. The adhesion charger 15 and the separation charger 16 are always provided at predetermined positions in the main body portion 5, that is, at upper and lower portions, respectively, regardless of the rotation of the transfer body 3 in the direction of the arrow a.

Next, using this spacer placement device,
A spacer arranging method for arranging the spacer between the two substrates of the liquid crystal display element will be described. First, as shown in FIGS. 3 (A) and 3 (B), the letterpress 6 of the transfer member 3 is charged to a polarity opposite to the polarity of the charged spacer 1 by using the adhesion charger 15, and transfer is performed in this state. The body 3 is placed on the tray 2 facing each other. Next, when the transfer body 3 is pressed against the spacer 1 while being rotated in the direction of arrow a, the opening 7 of the transfer body 3 is opened.
The spacer 1 is attached to a predetermined position on the surface of the relief plate 6 except for the electrostatic force. Next, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the lower substrate 8 is placed on the upper surface of the table 4, and the transfer body 3 is positioned and arranged on the lower substrate 8. Next, while moving the lower substrate 8 in the direction of arrow b and rotating the transfer body 3 in the direction of arrow a, the spacer 1 attached is brought close to the upper surface of the alignment film 13, and at the same time, the transfer charger 3 is separated by using the separation charger 16. The relief plate 6 of 3 is used as a spacer 1 near the alignment film 13.
If only the same is charged to the same polarity, the transfer member 3
The spacers 1 attached to the relief plates 6 are sequentially transferred to the upper surface of the alignment film 13. As a result, the spacers 1 are arranged on the upper surface of the alignment film 13 at predetermined positions corresponding to the portions excluding the thin film transistors 11.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, a third embodiment of the spacer arranging method and apparatus according to the present invention will be described. In this figure, the same parts as those in FIGS. 3 and 4 are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be appropriately omitted. This spacer disposing device is provided with a transfer body 21 which is provided so as to be movable in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction and is rotatable in the direction of arrow a. Transfer body 2
1 is made of metal and has a cylindrical shape. A semiconductor film (not shown) is provided on the surface of the transfer body 21. An exposure device (not shown) that forms an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the transfer body 21 is provided at a predetermined position outside the transfer body 21.

Next, using this spacer arrangement device,
A spacer arranging method for arranging the spacer between the two substrates of the liquid crystal display element will be described. First, the adhesion charger 1
5, the transfer member 21 is charged with a polarity opposite to that of the spacer 1. Next, an image is projected on the surface of the transfer body 21 by using an exposure device, and the resistance of the light-exposed portion 22 is lowered to allow the electric charge to escape, thereby corresponding to the portion of the lower substrate 8 excluding each thin film transistor 11. Electrostatic latent image 23
To form Next, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the transfer body 21 is arranged on the tray 2 so as to face it. Next, when the transfer body 21 is pressed against the spacer 1 while being rotated in the direction of the arrow a, the spacer 1 is attached to a predetermined position on the surface of the transfer body 21 according to the electrostatic latent image 23. Next, FIG.
As shown in (A) and (B), the lower substrate 8 is placed on the upper surface of the table 4, and the transfer body 21 is positioned and arranged on the lower substrate 8. Next, the lower substrate 8 is moved in the direction of the arrow b, and the transfer body 21 is pressed against the upper surface of the alignment film 13 while rotating in the direction of the arrow a.
When the transfer member 21 is sequentially charged to the same polarity as that of the spacer 1 from the portion close to the alignment film 13 by using 6, the transfer member 2
The spacers 1 attached to the surface of 1 are sequentially transferred to the upper surface of the alignment film 13. As a result, the spacers 1 are arranged on the upper surface of the alignment film 13 at predetermined positions corresponding to the portions excluding the thin film transistors 11.

In the second and third embodiments described above,
The separation charger 16 is used to attach the spacer 1 to the relief plate 6 of the transfer member 3.
However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the transfer body 3 is not limited to this.
If the spacer 1 is separated from the relief plate 6 of the transfer body 3 only by pressing it on the upper surface of the sheet, it is not necessary to use the separation charger 16. In the second and third embodiments, the separation charger 16 and the spacer 1 are charged to the same polarity and the adhesion charger 15 is set to the opposite polarity. However, the adhesion charger 15 is weakly charged to the extent that the adhesion cannot be held. Alternatively, in the first to third embodiments, the spacer 1 may be pressed and transferred, or may be transferred only by electrostatic force. In addition, in the above-described first to third embodiments, the transfer bodies 3, 15, 2 are used.
Although 1 has a cylindrical shape, it is not limited to this and may have a plate shape. Further, although the active matrix type liquid crystal display element has been described in the first to third embodiments, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be, for example, a simple matrix type liquid crystal display element. Further, in the above-described first to third embodiments, the transfer bodies 3, 15, and 21 are rotated in the arrow a direction and the lower substrate 8 is moved in the arrow b direction.
It is also possible to rotate 5 and 21 in the direction of arrow a and move them in the direction opposite to the direction of arrow b. Further, the spacer 1 may be arranged on the upper substrate corresponding to the portion of the lower substrate 8 excluding the thin film transistor 11.

[0015]

As described above, according to the present invention, a spacer is attached to a predetermined portion of the transfer body corresponding to a predetermined portion on the substrate, and the spacer attached to the transfer body is transferred onto the substrate. The spacer can be arranged at a desired position on the substrate by attaching the spacer to a predetermined position on the transfer body corresponding to the desired position on the substrate.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1A is a front view showing a step of attaching a spacer to a transfer member in a spacer arranging method according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a sectional view taken along the line BB.

FIG. 2A is a plan view showing a step of transferring a spacer attached to a transfer body onto a substrate in the spacer arranging method, and FIG. 2B is a sectional view taken along the line BB.

FIG. 3A is a front view showing a step of attaching spacers to a transfer body in a spacer arranging method according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3B is a sectional view taken along line BB thereof.

4A is a plan view showing a step of transferring a spacer attached to a transfer body onto a substrate in the spacer arranging method, and FIG. 4B is a sectional view taken along the line BB.

FIG. 5A is a front view showing a step of attaching a spacer to a transfer member in a spacer arranging method according to a third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5B is a sectional view taken along the line BB.

6A is a plan view showing a step of transferring a spacer attached to a transfer body onto a substrate in the same spacer arranging method, and FIG. 6B is a sectional view taken along line BB thereof.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 spacer 2 tray (spacer accommodating means) 3 transfer body 6 letterpress 8 lower substrate 11 thin film transistor (switching element)

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A spacer is attached to a predetermined portion of a transfer body corresponding to a predetermined portion of a substrate, the spacer attached to the transfer body is transferred onto the substrate, and the spacer is attached onto the substrate. A method for arranging a spacer, characterized in that the spacer is arranged at a predetermined position. 2. The substrate is one of a pair of substrates of a liquid crystal display element having a switching element, and the predetermined portion of the one substrate corresponds to a position where the switching element is not arranged. The method for arranging the spacer according to claim 1. 3. The spacer is charged to one polarity,
3. The spacer arranging method according to claim 1, wherein the spacer is attached by charging the transfer member to the other polarity. 4. After the spacer charged to one polarity is attached to the transfer body charged to the other polarity, a portion of the transfer body where the spacer to be transferred is attached is set to one polarity. The spacer arranging method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the spacer is arranged on the substrate by charging the same to a weak electric charge such that the adhesion cannot be retained.