KR100859471B1 - Liquid crystal dispensing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a liquid crystal dispensing apparatus capable of making the liquid crystal dropping amount uniform by making the liquid crystal and the nozzle have a low wettability relationship, the container containing the liquid crystal, the opening and closing portion of the liquid crystal discharge connected to the container, And a furnace having a liquid crystal discharge port and having a fluorine resin film having a plurality of protrusions on an outer surface thereof.

Liquid crystal aggregation, nozzle, Teflon, needle sheet, liquid crystal dropping, protrusion

Description

Liquid Crystal Dispenser {LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPENSING APPARATUS}

1 is a process flowchart for explaining a liquid crystal cell process to which a conventional liquid crystal injection method is applied.

2a and 2b is a perspective view of the liquid crystal dropping method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 3 is a perspective view for explaining a liquid crystal distribution device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a liquid crystal aggregation phenomenon.

5 is a cross-sectional view of removing the liquid crystal aggregation phenomenon of FIG.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

1: TFT substrate 2: liquid crystal

2a: liquid crystal aggregation 2b: liquid crystal droplets

3: seal material 5: color filter substrate

11: PE container 12: first fastening portion

13: needle seat 14: second fastening portion

15: nozzle 100: liquid crystal distribution device

200: Teflon coating film 200a: projection

The present invention relates to a liquid crystal dispensing device, and more particularly to a nozzle of a liquid crystal dispensing device.

As the information society develops, the demand for display devices is increasing in various forms, and in recent years, the LCD (Lipuid Crystal Display Device), PDP (Plasma Display Panel), ELD (Electro Luminescent Display), and VFD (Vacuum Fluorescent) Various flat panel display devices such as displays have been studied, and some of them are already used as display devices in various devices.

Among them, liquid crystal displays are the most widely used, replacing the cathode ray tubes for mobile image display devices because of their excellent image quality, light weight, thinness, and low power consumption. In addition to the same mobile type, various developments have been made for television monitors.

The LCD is composed of two substrates coupled to face each other and a liquid crystal material injected between them to generate a phase transition according to a change in temperature or a change in concentration.

The liquid crystal is a material having an intermediate property between a liquid and a solid having a liquidity and a long range order of the solid. That is, it means that the solid crystal melts and becomes an intermediate state, not a solid crystal or a liquid, before it becomes a liquid. When the light is irradiated or an electric field or a magnetic field is added, it exhibits birefringence peculiar to optical anisotropic crystals, and within a certain temperature range. Both properties of liquid and crystal are shown.

Such LCDs are largely manufactured through an array process, a color filter process, a liquid crystal cell process, and a module process.

The array process is a process of fabricating a thin film transistor array (hereinafter, abbreviated as TFT) on a first substrate by repeating deposition, photolithography, and etching processes. In the filter process, a black matrix is formed on the second substrate so that light is shielded in portions other than the pixel region, and red, green, and blue color filters are formed using dyes or pigments. After the fabrication, a process of forming an indium tin oxide (ITO) film for a common electrode is performed.

In addition, in the liquid crystal cell process, a liquid crystal is injected between the first and second substrates by forming a liquid crystal cell between the first and second substrates by bonding the first and second substrates to which the thin film transistor forming process is completed and the second substrate where the color filter process is completed. The module process is a process of manufacturing a circuit part for signal processing, connecting the liquid crystal panel and the signal processing circuit part to each other through mounting technology, and then attaching a mechanism to produce a module.

Here, the conventional liquid crystal cell process will be described in more detail as follows.

First, a cassette (not shown) on which a plurality of first substrates are loaded and a cassette (not shown) on which a plurality of second substrates are loaded are respectively loaded to each port by a loader. It is seated.

Here, a plurality of liquid crystal display panels are designed on the first substrate and the second substrate, and a plurality of gate lines arranged in one direction with a predetermined interval on the first substrate corresponding to each panel and the A plurality of thin film transistors and pixel electrodes respectively formed in a plurality of data lines arranged at regular intervals in a direction perpendicular to each gate line and in a matrix pixel region defined by the gate lines and the data lines. Are formed. In addition, a black matrix layer, a color filter layer, a common electrode, and the like are formed on the color filter substrate corresponding to each panel to block light in portions except the pixel region.

Next, the first substrate and the second substrate are selected using a robot arm programmed to select one of the plurality of first substrates and the plurality of second substrates, respectively.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1, after the alignment material is applied to each of the panels on the selected first and second substrates, an alignment process 1S is performed so that the liquid crystal molecules have uniform orientation. The alignment step (1S) proceeds in order of washing before application of the alignment film, alignment film printing, alignment film firing, alignment film inspection, and rubbing process.

Next, a gap process proceeds after the orientation process 1S. The gap process cleans the first substrate and the second substrate (2S), and then spreads a spacer (S) for maintaining a cell gap constant on the first substrate (3S), and the second substrate. After applying a seal material having a liquid crystal inlet (4S) to the outer periphery of each panel (4S), the pressure is applied to the first substrate and the second substrate and bonded together (5S).

Then, the bonded first substrate and the second substrate are cut and processed for each unit liquid crystal panel (6S).

Thereafter, liquid crystal is injected into each of the unit liquid crystal panels processed as described above through the liquid crystal inlet, and then the liquid crystal inlet is sealed (7S).

Next, the cut surface of each unit liquid crystal panel is polished, and the liquid crystal display device is manufactured by performing external appearance and electrical defect inspection 8S.

Here, the liquid crystal injection process is as follows.

When injecting the liquid crystal material, the liquid crystal material is first contained in a container, and then the container is placed in a chamber and the pressure in the chamber is kept in a vacuum state to remove moisture from the liquid crystal material or the inner wall of the container and remove bubbles. Defoaming.

Subsequently, the liquid crystal inlet of the empty liquid crystal cell is immersed in or contacted with the liquid crystal material while maintaining the pressure in the chamber in a vacuum state, and then the pressure in the chamber is increased from the vacuum state to the atmospheric pressure state. By the liquid crystal material is injected through the liquid crystal inlet.

However, the conventional method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device by the liquid crystal injection method has the following problems.

First, after cutting into a unit panel, the liquid crystal injection hole is immersed in the liquid crystal liquid by maintaining the vacuum state between the two substrates, so that the liquid crystal injection takes a lot of time, the productivity is reduced.

Second, in the case of manufacturing a large-area liquid crystal display device, when the liquid crystal is injected by the liquid crystal injection method, the liquid crystal is not completely injected into the panel, which causes a defect.

Third, since the process is complicated and time-consuming as described above, several liquid crystal injection equipment is required, which requires a lot of space.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention devised to solve the above problems is to provide a liquid crystal dispensing apparatus for dropping liquid crystal on a large area glass substrate.

The liquid crystal distribution device of the present invention for achieving the above object is a fluorine resin container containing a liquid crystal, the opening and closing portion of the liquid crystal discharge connected to the container, and connected to the opening and closing portion, has a liquid crystal discharge port, a plurality of projections on the outer surface And a nozzle with a membrane.

The opening and closing portion includes a first fastening portion connected to the container, a second fastening portion connected to the first fastening portion, and a needle coupled to the first and second fastening portions to serve as a liquid crystal injection passage. It is characterized by consisting of a sheet.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.

2a and 2b is a perspective view of the liquid crystal dropping method according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3 is a perspective view for explaining a liquid crystal distribution device according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 4 is a liquid crystal aggregation phenomenon 5 is a cross-sectional view of removing the liquid crystal aggregation phenomenon of FIG.

In the liquid crystal dropping method, the liquid crystal is not directly injected by the pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the unit panel, but the liquid crystal is directly dropped onto the large glass substrate and the liquid crystal dropped by the bonding pressure of the substrate is uniformly distributed throughout the panel. This is to form a liquid crystal layer.

As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, after the alignment material is applied onto the TFT substrate 1 and the color filter substrate 5, an alignment process is performed in which the liquid crystal molecules have uniform orientation.

After cleaning the TFT substrate 1 and the color filter substrate 5 on which the alignment process has been performed, the UV curable seal material 3 having a frame shape without a liquid crystal injection hole in the TFT substrate 1 is formed in a predetermined thickness. Is applied, and an appropriate amount of the liquid crystal 2 is evenly added to the inside of the seal material 3 (a thin film transistor array portion). In this case, the liquid crystal 2 is uniformly doted by a predetermined amount with a constant pitch and pattern using the liquid crystal distribution device 100.

Next, as shown in FIG. 2B, the color filter substrate 5 is placed on the TFT substrate 1 on which the seal material 3 is printed in a vacuum chamber (not shown), and then bonded to the liquid crystal panel. Form.

Then, although not shown in the drawing, restoring the inside of the vacuum chamber to atmospheric pressure causes the bonded TFT substrate 1 and the color filter substrate 5 to pressurize the substrate due to the pressure difference between the chamber and the substrate. ) And the color filter substrate 5 are filled with the liquid crystal 2 to form a liquid crystal layer. Then, the sealing material 3 is cured by irradiating the application area of the sealing material 3 while moving the UV light source.

Subsequently, the liquid crystal panel in which the liquid crystal 2 is filled is cut to form a plurality of liquid crystal unit panels, and a liquid crystal display device is manufactured by determining whether or not a defect is performed by performing external appearance and electrical lighting tests of the plurality of liquid crystal unit panels.

The external inspection is a process of inspecting a liquid crystal alignment and a filled state in a state in which no electrical connection is made to the liquid crystal unit panel, and the electrical lighting test is A / P (Auto / Probe) having a voltage terminal applying a predetermined voltage. By using the equipment, by electrically connecting the voltage terminal to a gate line (Gate Line) and a data line (Data Line) formed on the TFT substrate of the liquid crystal unit panel to check the electrical failure of the panel, for example, cell gap failure or It is a process of inspecting liquid crystal injection defect (non-injection, leak, etc.).

In such a liquid crystal dropping method, it is very important that the liquid crystal 2 is dropped in an optimal dropping amount. In other words, when the amount of the liquid crystal 2 dropping is insufficient, bubbles are generated in the liquid crystal layer, and when the liquid crystal layer is excessive, display unevenness occurs.

Therefore, in the embodiment of the present invention, the liquid crystal is dropped by using the following liquid crystal distribution device.

As shown in FIG. 3, the liquid crystal dispensing apparatus 100 is a container for holding the liquid crystal 2, and a PE container 11 of polyethylene material disposed inside and supporting the PE container 11 disposed outside thereof. An outer case (not shown). The liquid crystal distribution device 100 includes a first fastening part 12 and a second fastening part 14 connected to the fastening part 11a of the PE container 11, and the first and second fastening parts 12 and 14. The needle sheet 13, which is a liquid crystal 2 injection passage, and the nozzle 15 for administering the liquid crystal 2 flowing out through the needle sheet 13 on the substrate are shown. Here, the first and second fastening portions 12 and 14 have male screws on one side and female screws on the other side.                     

The fastening portion 11a is a female screw, and is fastened to one side portion 12a of the first fastening portion 12, and the other side portion 12b of the first fastening portion 12 is connected to the second fastening portion 14. It is connected with one side part 14a. At this time, the needle sheet 13 is engaged by engaging with the other side portion 12b of the first fastening portion 12 and one side portion 14a of the second fastening portion 14.

The nozzle 15 is connected to the other side 14b of the second fastening portion 14.

At this time, the nozzle 15 serving as the final passage for dropping the liquid crystal 2 is made of metal, and as shown in FIG. 4 when the liquid crystal 2 is distributed through this, the liquid crystal aggregation phenomenon 20 may occur. Can be. When the liquid crystal 2 is distributed through the nozzle 15 which is a metal, the liquid crystal agglomeration phenomenon 20 is due to the high wettability and hydrophilicity between the metal and the liquid crystal. ) It is the phenomenon of riding on the outer surface of the end.

Due to the liquid crystal agglomeration phenomenon 20, the amount of the liquid crystal to be influenced by gravity as compared to the surface friction between the nozzle 15 and the liquid crystal 2 is dropped into the TFT substrate (1). This is a factor causing direct mismatch 2a of the liquid crystal dropping amount.

Accordingly, in order to prevent such a problem, the nozzle 15 has a liquid crystal discharge port and a Teflon coating film 200 having a plurality of protrusions 200a formed on an outer surface thereof, as shown in FIG. 3. have.

Here, Teflon is a registered trademark of DuPont, USA, and is a trade name of fluorocarbon resin having unique physical and chemical properties that other polymer compounds do not have.                     

The basic form of Teflon consists of three types: PTFE (Ploy Tetra Fluoro Ethylene), Flourated Ethylene Propylene (FEP), and Poly Fluoro Alkoxy (PFA), and other special organic compounds may be added.

By coating such Teflon, Teflon coating film 200 is formed through spraying, powder electrostatic coating, drying, heating, and firing on existing materials such as iron, stainless steel, aluminum, copper, glass, rubber, ceramic, and plastic. do.

The Teflon coating layer 200 has intrinsic properties such as non-adhesiveness, heat resistance, chemical resistance, abrasion resistance, and electrical insulation.

In particular, the Teflon coating film 200 has characteristics of non-adhesion, low friction coefficient, and non-oil-related properties that are hardly adhered to almost all materials. The liquid crystal dropping amount is uniformed by having a low wettability relationship.

That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the outer surface of the nozzle 15 and the liquid crystal droplet 2b in contact with the outer surface have a high contact angle θ due to the Teflon coating film 200.

 That is, since the Teflon coating film 200 and the liquid crystal 2 have low wettability and low surface energy, and the frictional force between the surfaces of the liquid crystal 2 and the Teflon coating film 200 becomes small, the liquid crystal 2 is only affected by gravity. When the liquid crystal 2 is dispensed, distribution is performed so that a certain amount can be doped.

Contact angle (θ) refers to the angle formed when a liquid is thermodynamically equilibrated on a solid surface, and there are variables such as temperature, time, volume, density, gravity, droplet size, and surface roughness. Receive.

When the average roughness value of the protrusions 200a protruding from the surface of the Teflon coating film 200 is RA, there is almost no change in the contact angle θ when RA <0.1 μm, and the contact angle θ when RA> 0.1 μm. Makes variation.

Since the surface of the Teflon coating film 200 is hydrophobic, the liquid crystal droplets 2b have an effect of agglomeration between the liquid crystal drops 2b, so that the larger the average roughness value RA, the larger the contact angle.

On the other hand, since the surface of the metal such as the nozzle 15 is hydrophilic, the liquid crystal droplet 2b is strongly adhered to the surface of the nozzle 15 so that the contact angle θ becomes small, and the larger the average roughness value RA, the larger the liquid crystal. The surface area of the drop 2b is increased, and the contact angle θ becomes smaller.

By using these characteristics, by controlling the roughness of the outer surface of the end of the nozzle 15 to enhance the properties such as low surface energy / low friction coefficient / high sliding / low adhesion / high contact angle to prevent the aggregation of the conventional liquid crystal Can be.

Therefore, the surface roughness is enhanced by the Teflon coating film 200 having the protrusion 200a coated on the outer surface of the nozzle 15 to minimize the frictional force between the surface of the liquid crystal droplet 2b and the Teflon coating film 200, thereby improving dropping accuracy. Can be.

When the liquid crystal cell process using the liquid crystal dropping method is performed using the liquid crystal distributing apparatus 100 capable of uniformly distributing the liquid crystal 2, bubbles in the liquid crystal layer and uneven display of the liquid crystal layer are improved by dropping accuracy. It can be adjusted easily.

In the embodiment of the present invention, only the nozzle 15 of the liquid crystal dispensing apparatus 100 has been described, but it is also applicable to a dispensing apparatus having another solvent.

The present invention described above is not limited to the above-described embodiment and the accompanying drawings, and it is common in the art that various substitutions, modifications, and changes can be made without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention. It will be evident to those who have knowledge of.

According to the liquid crystal distribution device of the present invention described above has the following effects.

First, since the liquid crystal is directly dropped onto the substrate for a short time by using the liquid crystal dropping method, the formation of the liquid crystal layer of the large area liquid crystal display device can be performed very quickly, and only the required amount of liquid crystal is directly deposited on the substrate. Since the dropping can minimize the consumption of the liquid crystal has the advantage that can significantly reduce the manufacturing cost of the liquid crystal display device.

Second, by adjusting the roughness of the outer surface of the nozzle end of the liquid crystal distribution device to enhance the properties such as low surface energy / low friction coefficient / high slip / low adhesion / high contact angle, it is possible to prevent the aggregation of the conventional liquid crystal have.

As a result, when the liquid crystal cell process to which the liquid crystal dropping method is applied is performed using the liquid crystal distributing device as described above, bubble generation and uneven display in the liquid crystal layer can be easily controlled by the dropping accuracy.

Therefore, screen quality and yield improvement can be aimed at by manufacturing a stable liquid crystal panel.

Claims (5)

A container containing liquid crystal, An opening and closing portion of the liquid crystal discharge connected to the container; And a nozzle connected to the opening and closing portion, the nozzle having a liquid crystal discharge port and having a fluorine resin film having a plurality of protrusions on an outer surface thereof. The method of claim 1, The fluorine resin film is a liquid crystal distribution device, characterized in that the Teflon coating film. The method of claim 1, The opening and closing portion and the first fastening portion connected to the container; A second fastening part connected to the first fastening part; And a needle sheet coupled between the first and second fastening portions to serve as a liquid crystal injection passage. The method of claim 1, The average surface roughness of the plurality of projections is at least 0.1㎛ characterized in that the liquid crystal distribution device. delete

Images