JPS6318330A - Pattern formation of liquid crystal element - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the yield and to reduce the cost by irradiating a conductive film adhered on a substrate with laser light under vacuum and removing the irradiated part, and thus forming a striped electrode group. CONSTITUTION:A light source 3 for laser light is arranged in a vacuum container above the conductive film 2a formed on an ITO film on the substrate, and the laser light 4 emitted by the light source 3 is converged by a lens 5 to strike on the conductive film 2a, thereby removing the conductive film at the irradiated part. Further, the substrate 1 moves on a roller 6 as shown by an arrow B to form a striped electrode pattern. Consequently, adjacent electrodes hardly short-circuit each other and the formation is carried out in a complete dry state, so the generation rate of dust is minimized.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a method for forming a pattern for a liquid crystal element, and more particularly to a method for forming a pattern for a liquid crystal element that obtains uniform monodomain alignment.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, the pattern formation method for liquid crystal elements involves coating a photoresist on a substrate, exposing it to light, and developing it.

A photolithography technique is generally used in which each step of etching and resist stripping is performed in an I'li sequence.

However, this method requires a large number of steps, and when forming a fine pattern on a large substrate, short circuits between adjacent electrodes are likely to occur due to poor development or etching, which is a major factor in lowering yield.

In addition, photolithography technology often involves a so-called wet process in which the substrate is immersed in a developing solution, etching solution, or stripping solution, and dust mixed into each of the solutions or photoresist residue may adhere to the substrate surface. This easily led to deterioration of product quality.

In particular, these problems have been a big problem when the cell thickness is extremely thin.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] The present invention solves the drawbacks of the prior art as described above, simplifies the process, and provides a liquid crystal element that is less likely to cause short circuits between adjacent electrodes and less likely to generate dust. The purpose of this invention is to provide a pattern forming method, and further to improve the yield and reduce the cost of liquid crystal devices.

[Means for Solving the Problems] That is, the present invention provides a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal element having two substrates each having a striped electrode group formed on at least one side and a liquid crystal material sandwiched between them. This is a pattern forming method for a liquid crystal element, characterized in that a deposited conductive film is irradiated with laser light in a vacuum, the irradiated portion is removed, and a striped electrode group is formed.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a partial plan view showing an example of an electrode pattern on one side of a substrate in a dot matrix type liquid crystal element formed using the method of the present invention.

Further, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA' in FIG. 1.

In the figure, 1 is a substrate made of glass, for example, and 2 is a transparent electrode group (ITO) made of indium tin oxide (ITO).
) is shown.

Further, as shown in the figure, a transparent electrode group 2 is formed in a stripe shape on the substrate l.

The present invention is particularly effective when forming such a fine but simple pattern over a large area.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a method for forming the patterns shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG.

In FIG. 3, a method for forming a pattern of a liquid crystal element according to the present invention is to form an I film on a substrate L in a vacuum container.
A laser light source 3 is placed above the conductive coating 2a made of a TO film, and a laser beam 4 emitted from the light source 3
is concentrated by the lens 5 and hits the conductive film 2a, causing the conductive film in the irradiated area to disappear.

Further, the substrate 1 is moved on the roller 6 in the direction of arrow B in the figure, thereby forming the striped electrode pattern shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

At this time, the laser has an oscillation wavelength of 1,061 ha.
An infrared oscillation laser such as a YAG laser can be used.

Note that this process is performed in a vacuum, and the vacuum state is approximately 1
0-”Torr or less, preferably 10-’ to 1O-2
Torr is preferable.

Next, FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing another example of the electrode pattern of the substrate patterned by the method of the present invention. In FIG. 4, 7 is a metal electrode such as Aj) or Cr for reducing the wiring resistance of the transparent electrode group 2.

The method for forming this pattern is to deposit a conductive film of ITO on the substrate 1, and then form a pattern of Ap or Cr on a laminated film on which a metal film of Aj> or Cr is formed. By irradiating an infrared laser beam with a method similar to that shown in FIG. 3, patterning is performed without damaging the ITO conductive film, and then the conductive film is patterned to form a metal electrode pattern. can be formed.

In addition, when the distance between adjacent electrodes is wide, such as the metal electrode 7 of Ap or Cr in FIG. 4, the lens 5 in FIG.
A desired pattern can be obtained by adjusting the position of.

Furthermore, by arranging a plurality of light sources 3 at appropriate intervals, it is possible to form a plurality of patterns at a time.

As mentioned above, compared to photolithography technology, the present invention can obtain a striped pattern with a high yield without shorting between adjacent electrodes through a very simple process, and because it is a completely dry process in vacuum, there is no dust. This generation is extremely rare, and even when the cell thickness is extremely thin, liquid crystal elements can be manufactured with high yield without degrading the quality of the product, and as a result, it is possible to reduce costs.

[Function] The present invention is a simple process of selectively irradiating a substrate with a conductive film such as ITO on the entire surface in a vacuum, and the irradiated object is irradiated with laser light. Because the conductive film in the area is removed by heat and is removed to form a striped electrode group, there is almost no short circuit between adjacent electrodes, and it is performed in a completely experimental condition in a vacuum. , the rate of waste generation can be kept to a minimum.

[Example] Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in more detail with reference to Examples.

Example 1 IT with a thickness of 900A was deposited on a glass substrate by sputtering.
An O film was applied.

The substrate was introduced into a vacuum container equipped with the apparatus shown in FIG. 3, and in a vacuum maintained at a vacuum state of about 10-'Torr.
The ITO film is irradiated with a YAG laser of 2 mJ, wavelength 1.06 mm, beam diameter 10 mm, and pulse 20 nm, and the substrate is moved with a roller at a speed of 50 mm/sec to remove the area irradiated by the laser beam. rTo [ disappeared to form a striped electrode group pattern with a width of 100 μm.

The electrode group pattern of the obtained substrate was free of dust, had sharp edges, and formed a good pattern with no short circuit between adjacent stripe electrodes.

Example 2 On a glass substrate coated with an ITO film in the same manner as in Example 1, a 100A thick film (AJ) was further provided by vapor deposition.

Next, the substrate was placed in a vacuum container, and first, 1.5 mJ,
Wavelength 1.061Lm, beam diameter 10gm, 1 pulse 20
After irradiating the ^ρ film with a YAG laser of nsec while scanning at a speed of 50+am/see to form a striped pattern (metal electrode 7) with a width of 104 m, Example 1 was prepared.
A striped pattern 2 of an ITO film having a width of 1001 was formed in the same manner as described above, to obtain a substrate having the pattern shown in FIG.

The electrode group pattern of the obtained substrate was free of dust, had sharp edges, and formed a good pattern with no short circuit between adjacent stripe electrodes.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the method for forming a pattern of a liquid crystal element of the present invention, a fine pattern of a liquid crystal element can be formed over a large area while minimizing short-circuits between adjacent electrodes or generation of dust. Therefore, it is possible to obtain excellent effects such as improving product quality and yield, and ultimately reducing costs.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a partial plan view showing an example of an electrode pattern formed by the method of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA' in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. An explanatory diagram showing an example of a method for forming a pattern, and FIG. 4 are cross-sectional views showing another example of an electrode pattern formed by the method of the present invention.

Claims (6)

[Claims] (1) In the manufacturing process of a liquid crystal element, which has two substrates with striped electrode groups formed on at least one side and a liquid crystal material sandwiched between them, a conductive film deposited on the substrate is exposed to a laser beam in a vacuum. A method for forming a pattern for a liquid crystal element, which comprises irradiating light and removing an irradiated portion to form a striped electrode group. (2) A method for forming a pattern for a liquid crystal element according to claim 1, wherein the conductive film is an indium tin oxide film. (3) A method for forming a pattern of a liquid crystal element according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the pattern is formed by irradiation with a YAG laser having a wavelength of 1.06 μm. (4) The method for forming a pattern for a liquid crystal element according to claim 1, wherein the conductive film is a laminated film of an indium tin oxide film and a metal film of Al or Cr. (5) After patterning the Al or Cr metal film by irradiation with a YAG laser with a wavelength of 1.06 μm,
A method for forming a pattern of a liquid crystal element according to claim 1 or 4, which comprises forming a pattern of an indium tin oxide film. (6) A plurality of laser beam irradiation ports are used to form the pattern of the electrode group, and the patterns of the plurality of electrode groups are simultaneously formed by moving the substrate or the irradiation port. A method for forming a pattern of a liquid crystal element according to any one of Item 5.