KR100980497B1 - Sealing apparatus and sealing merhod using a line beam for a display device - Google Patents

Abstract

In a sealing system for a display device using a line beam according to an embodiment of the present invention, a pair of substrates for a display device are coupled to each other, and the pair of substrates are mounted in X, Y, Z, and rotation directions. UVWZ stage that can be aligned, a mask having a transmission region corresponding to the sealing material formed between the two substrates is mounted, it is possible to align in the X-axis, Y-axis and the rotation direction therebetween, the height is different from the UVWZ stage And a head unit for selectively irradiating a line beam to the sealant through a transmission unit for moving the UVWZ stage, the UVWZ stage under the UVW stage, and a transmission region of the mask.

According to this configuration, a plurality of display devices can be manufactured at the same time, a line beam can be selectively formed, and the sealing efficiency of the display device can be improved since the focus movement in the axial direction and the oblique irradiation with respect to the substrate can be performed. .

OLED, Stage, Alignment, Fiber Optic, Line Beam

Description

Sealing system and sealing method for display device using line beam {SEALING APPARATUS AND SEALING MERHOD USING A LINE BEAM FOR A DISPLAY DEVICE}

The present invention relates to a sealing system and a sealing method for a display device using a line beam, and more particularly, to a plurality of organic light emitting display devices by selectively irradiating a line beam to a sealing material using an optical fiber bundle unit connected to a laser oscillator. The present invention relates to a sealing system and method for a display device using a line beam capable of effectively sealing at the same time.

Flat panel displays (FPDs), which are currently widely used, include liquid crystal displays (LCDs), plasma display panels (PDPs), and organic light emitting displays (OLEDs). ), And a field emission display (FED).

Such a flat panel display mainly includes a pair of substrates facing each other, a pair of electrodes formed on each substrate or a substrate, an electro-optical active layer formed between the pair of electrodes, and an electro-optical active layer. It includes a sealing material formed around the substrate to prevent leakage to or contamination from the outside. In this case, the liquid crystal display includes the liquid crystal layer as the electro-optical active layer, and the organic light emitting display includes the organic light emitting layer as the electro-optical active layer.

The organic light emitting diode display is very bright and has a good color contrast ratio and at the same time obtains a wide viewing angle, and thus researches are being actively conducted as various light emitting devices.

The organic light emitting layer, which is an electro-optical active layer of the organic light emitting display, has a problem of easily interacting with materials such as oxygen and moisture from the surrounding environment and easily collapsing with them.

In order to solve this problem, it is required to quickly and completely seal the organic light emitting layer from the surrounding environment.

To this end, a technique of using a glass sealant (frit) as a sealing material has been proposed.

The sealing method aligns a substrate in which a plurality of predetermined cells are defined by a glass sealant, a substrate having an organic light emitting layer, an electrode, a driving element, and the like, in parallel with each other, and then heats the glass sealant, softens it, and then cools it. Is to combine the two substrates.

However, such a conventional sealing method has a problem in that the electrode or the electro-optical active layer is affected by heat when the glass sealant is heated, particularly in the case of having an electro-optical active layer which is small in size and weak in heat as in an organic light emitting display device.

In addition, in the sealing method, the utilization of the display device has been greatly increased in recent years, and the display device cannot be produced in large quantities in response to the demand of the display device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a sealing system and method for a display device using a line beam for easily and quickly sealing between a pair of substrates for a display device.

In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide a sealing system and method for a display device using a line beam capable of producing a large amount of display devices in order to meet the demand of the display device, which has recently increased significantly, and to increase the yield of the display device. To provide.

In view of the problems of the prior art described above, the sealing system for a display device using a line beam according to an embodiment of the present invention
A UVWZ stage equipped with a pair of substrates for a display device coupled thereto, the pair of substrates being aligned in X, Y, Z and rotation directions;
A mask having a transmissive area corresponding to the sealing material formed between the two substrates is mounted, the UVW stage can be aligned in the X-axis, Y-axis, and rotational directions, and has a height different from that of the UVWZ stage;
Transfer unit for moving the UVWZ stage below the UVW stage, And
A head unit for irradiating the line beam through the transmission region of the mask with respect to the sealant,
The head unit includes an optical fiber bundle unit for transmitting a laser beam, a bracket for arranging the optical fiber bundle unit to be a line, and a focusing lens for focusing the line beam from the optical fiber bundle unit,
The head unit is disposed in a width direction of the substrate, and extends along a length direction of the substrate, wherein the substrate includes a plurality of cell regions corresponding to a display device, and the optical fiber bundle unit is disposed in the plurality of cell regions. Correspondingly controlled by the control unit to be on and off respectively.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of encapsulating a display device using a line beam, wherein the pair of substrates on which the sealant is disposed to define a plurality of cell regions formed between the pair of substrates in the X-axis, Y-axis, and rotation directions. Placing it on a moveable and aligned UVWZ stage,

Mounting the mask having a plurality of transmission regions corresponding to the sealant, and transferring the UVWZ stage below the UVW stage, which can be aligned in the X-axis, Y-axis, and rotational directions;

Using the UVWZ stage and the UVW stage to align the sealing material between the pair of substrates and the transmissive region of the mask,

Irradiating a line beam to said sealant through at least two said transmissive regions.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the glass sealing material of a plurality of cell regions may be heated in a batch by irradiating a line beam on the entire surface corresponding to a display device having a large area, thereby easily and quickly sealing the display device.

Further, by irradiating with a line beam formed by selectively turning on and off the optical fiber bundle unit, a plurality of small display devices can be mass produced at the same time.

In addition, the UVWZ stage and the UVW stage can be arranged in a multilayer structure to facilitate alignment of the substrate and the mask, and the head unit for irradiating the line beam with respect to the Z-axis stage can be axially and rotatably coupled to the line beam. Energy can be shifted and averaged, and the line beam can be irradiated obliquely to the substrate to increase the processing efficiency for the glass sealant.

In addition, the damper unit can be rotated at a rotational angle corresponding to the rotational angle of the head unit, so that even if some of the line beams are reflected, it can be completely extinguished so that the surroundings are not contaminated or damaged by the laser beam.

In addition, it is possible to increase the life of the mask and the head unit.

The illustrative embodiments described in the detailed description below are not for the purpose of explanation and are intended to assist in a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be applied to other embodiments in addition to the specific details described herein. Moreover, descriptions of well-known devices, methods, and materials are omitted so as not to obscure the description of the present invention. Finally, the same components are given the same reference numerals.

Although the sealing techniques of the present invention are described below in connection with the manufacture of fully sealed organic light emitting displays, the same or similar sealing techniques can be used to seal two substrates together which can be used in a wide variety of applications and devices. I can understand that. Thus, the sealing techniques of the present invention will not be interpreted in a limited manner.

1A is a plan view illustrating a structure of an organic light emitting display device completed using a sealing system and a sealing method of a display device using a line beam according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is an organic light emitting display device of FIG. 1A. Is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II.

In the present specification, an organic light emitting display device will be described as an example of the flat panel display device 100. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and a liquid crystal display (LCD) and a plasma display device (PDP) may be used. display panel) and a field emission display (FED).

1A and 1B, an organic light emitting display device 100 manufactured through an embodiment of the present invention includes a pair of substrates 110 and 120 facing each other and a pair of substrates 110 and 120. And a plurality of organic light emitting elements 140 formed on one of the pair of substrates 110 and 120.

Generally, although not specifically illustrated in the drawings, the organic light emitting diode 140 includes an anode electrode, a cathode electrode, and an organic light emitting layer formed therebetween, and includes a driving thin film element electrically connected to and driving the organic light emitting layer. can do.

The upper and lower substrates 110 and 120 are made of a transparent material, and one of the two substrates 110 and 120 may be an opaque substrate according to a back emission or a top emission method.

The sealant 130 is a glass sealant (frit) doped with a material that absorbs light of a specific wavelength well, and is formed by melting it.

In the method of manufacturing the organic light emitting diode display, the organic light emitting diode 140 and other circuits are provided on the lower substrate 110, and the sealing material 130 is disposed in a closed curve along the circumference of the upper substrate 120. Is provided.

The glass sealant is a low temperature glass sealant containing one or more absorbing ions selected from the group comprising iron, copper, vanadium, and neodynium (eg).

In addition, the glass sealing material may be doped with a filler (eg, a conversion filler, an additional filler) that lowers the coefficient of thermal expansion so as to match or substantially match the coefficients of thermal expansion of the two substrates 110 and 120. 120) may be sintered prior to bonding.

Thus, the two substrates 110 and 120 are aligned and temporarily coupled, mounted on a sealing system for a display device using a line beam according to an embodiment of the present invention, and then the glass sealing material is heated by a line beam to seal the sealing material ( 130, the two substrates 110 and 120 are completely sealed, and this manufacturing process may be performed on a mother glass including a plurality of cell regions, which will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Let's do it.

First, a sealing system for a display device using a line beam according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

Figure 2 is a plan view schematically showing the structure of a sealing system using a line beam according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the sealing system 200 for a display device using a line beam according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a UVWZ stage 210, a UVW stage 230, a head unit 240 for irradiating a line beam, Z-axis feeder 220, X-axis feeder 250, Y-axis feeder 280, and alignment thereof for driving the head unit 240 to selectively irradiate a line beam to a large area substrate. Means (aligners 291, 292).

The UVWZ stage 210 is arranged in a multilayer structure having a height that is different from the UVW stage 230 with respect to the Z-axis. The UVWZ stage 210 is formed along the X-axis direction by a first rail 211 (transporter), which will be described later. 230) may be disposed below.

The UVWZ stage 210 mounts two substrates 110 and 120 that are temporarily coupled by the sealant 130, and a plurality of organic regions partitioned by the sealant 130 between the two substrates 110 and 120. The light emitting display device 100 (refer to FIG. 1) may be configured.

The two substrates 110 and 120 are in a temporarily coupled state, and the first plate disposed at the primary alignment position on the UVWZ stage 210 is disposed on 212, and then the X-axis, Y-axis, and the angle therebetween. It can be aligned below the UVW stage 230 by the UVWZ stage 210 that can be finely adjusted in the Z-axis direction as well as the direction.

The UVW stage 230 is provided with a mask 300 that selectively transmits a line beam by forming a transmissive region 310 corresponding to the encapsulant 130 that defines the organic light emitting display 100. And a second plate 231 for primary alignment support of the mask 300.

The UVW stage 230 may be disposed on the X-axis second rails 235 and 236 by the support 232 and reciprocated in the X-axis direction. Since the support 232 and the second rails 235 and 236 are arranged at a position higher than the first rail 211, the UVW stage 230 is X along the second rails 235 and 236. The axial direction may be aligned with the UVWZ stage 210.

However, the UVW stage 230 refers to a stage that can be fine-tuned by rotating in the angular direction between the Y-axis, the X-axis, and if possible, the UVW stage 230 is fixed, By moving only the UVWZ stage 210 can be easily aligned.

The substrates 110 and 120 and the mask 300 are provided with alignment marks 110a, 120a and 300a so that the alignment marks 110a, 120a and 300a are formed using the alignment means 291 and 292 such as vision. The UVWZ stage 210 and the UVW stage 230 may be manually adjusted or automatically adjusted by the controller 400 to match.

The Z-axis feeder 220 includes first and second pivotal supports 221 and 222 facing in parallel to each other, and vertically or vertically moves the head unit 240 along the Z-axis direction. May be inclined with respect to the substrates 220 and 120.

The head unit 240 is coupled to the first pivotal support 221, and the second pivotal support 222 is coupled to the Y-axis feeder 250 to move the head unit 240 in the Y-axis direction. You can.

The X-axis feeder 280 includes third rails 281 and 282 which face each other in parallel in the X-axis direction, and are disposed at both ends of the Y-axis feeder 250 in the third rails 281 and 282. The first and second pivotal supports 251 and 252 may be connected to allow the Y-axis feeder 250 to move in the X-axis direction.

The Y-axis transfer unit 250 provides a path for the head unit 240 to move in a direction perpendicular to the X-axis transfer unit 280, the second support 222 of the Z-axis transfer unit 220 is coupled Both ends thereof are fixed to the X-axis feeder 250 by the first and second supports 251 and 252.

The head unit 240 is an optical fiber bundle unit 242 arranged in a line, a bracket 241 for fixing them, and a focusing means 243 for condensing the laser beam irradiated from the optical fiber bundle unit 242 It includes. The optical fiber bundle unit 242 includes one or more optical fibers (not shown), and heats the glass sealing material by irradiating a laser beam to seal the two substrates 110 and 120.

A damper unit 270 may be further disposed in parallel with the head unit 240 in the X axis direction.

The damper unit 270 is made of a metal material, an inlet 271 in which the line beam is incident, a recess 272 having a multi-reflective surface 272a for infinitely reflecting and extinguishing the incident line beam, and the It may include a cooling means 273 surrounding the recess 272.

In addition, the damper unit 270 is rotatably coupled to the third and fourth pivotal supports 221 'and 222' with respect to the second Z-axis feeder 220 ', so that the rotation angle of the head unit 240 is rotated. When the laser beam irradiated from the head unit 240 is reflected after being irradiated to the substrates 110 and 120 or the mask 300, the absorbing angle corresponding to the rotational angle corresponding to the rotational angle, for example, is mostly absorbed through the multi-reflection surface. Can be destroyed.

The third and fourth rotation units 221 ′ and 222 ′ of the damper unit 270 may be controlled manually or by the controller 400.

In the sealing method using the sealing system for a display device using such a line beam, the optical fiber bundle unit 242 is selectively driven according to the length of the substrate or the size of the display device 100 to drive the plurality of transmission regions 310. The eggplant 300 may collectively heat the glass sealing material formed in the plurality of cell regions using the mask 300, which will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a method of sealing a display device using a line beam according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a mask and a substrate in the method of sealing the display device using a line beam according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a layout view illustrating the arrangement of the head unit, and FIG. 5 is a view illustrating the optical fiber bundle unit included in the head unit in more detail.

4 to 5, in the sealing method using the line beam according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of organic light emitting diode display devices 100 are partitioned by the sealing material 130, whereby the temporary coupling is performed. Two substrates 110 and 120 are mounted on the UVWZ stage 210 and the UVWZ stage 210 is moved in the X-axis direction to align with the UVW stage 230 on which the mask 300 is mounted. By the fine alignment, the alignment member 110a, 120a, and 300a may be simply aligned so that the sealing member 130 of the organic light emitting diode display 100 and the transmission region 310 of the mask 300 correspond precisely. Can be. In this case, the two substrates 110 and 120 are made of mother glass, and the two substrates 110 and 120 include a plurality of cell regions, and the transparent region 310 of the mask 300 also includes a plurality of cells. It is formed corresponding to the area. The cell area is a unit area that is divided into one display device and corresponds to each display device.

The length of the head unit 240 may be the same as the width of the substrate (110, 120), otherwise, the substrate (using the Z-axis transfer unit 220 and Y-axis transfer unit 250, Arrange and align the head unit 240 to correspond to the width of the 110, 120 or mask 300, and move the X-axis transfer unit 280 to the head unit 240 to move the laser output unit (not shown). By controlling the on and off of the laser beam provided through the optical fiber bundle unit 260 may be heated at the same time to seal the plurality of the sealing member 130 between the two substrates (110, 120).

Through this, in the present invention, the two substrates 110 and 120 including the large area mother substrate including the plurality of cell regions are irradiated with line beams on the entire surface to collectively heat the glass sealing material of the plurality of cell regions to proceed the sealing process. The organic light emitting diode display can be sealed easily and quickly.

As described above, since the head unit 240 is slightly moved with respect to the large-area substrates 110 and 120, a line beam having uniform energy may be formed, thereby increasing the production efficiency of the display device.

In addition, it is possible to focus on a plurality of organic display devices 100 on the large-area substrates 110 and 120 at one time, select a uniform energy intensity, and use a laser beam to generate thermal effects around the substrate. It can be reduced and fine-tuned to increase yield.

In this case, the transmission region 310 selectively transmits the line beam to heat only the glass sealing material to complete the sealing member 130. The optical fiber bundle is disposed at a position corresponding to the transmission region 310 by selectively driving the line beam. The unit 242 may be driven to maximize the use efficiency of the sealing system.

In FIG. 4, the optical fiber bundle unit 242 and the bracket 241 are separated from the head unit 240 and shown on the right side, and "●" corresponds to the transmission region 310, and the optical fiber is driven on, and " Indicates that the optical fiber is driven off corresponding to the light shielding film defining the transmission region 310.

In this case, the line beam may be irradiated perpendicularly to the substrates 110 and 120 or the mask 300 by using the first and second pivotal supports 221 and 222, and have an oblique angle θ / 2. You can also investigate to have.

In the case of irradiating the line beam vertically, the head unit 240 may be damaged by the line beam reflected by the light shielding film defining the transmission region 310, so that the line beam is irradiated at an angle, and the inclination angle ( θ) preferably does not exceed 45 degrees. In addition, when obliquely irradiating a line beam, the Z-axis feeder may be moved downward to compensate energy by moving a focal length by an inclination angle.

In the case of irradiating the line beam at an angle, more than one area may be sealed at a time, and the mask 300 may be prevented from being damaged by the vertical light.

In order to absorb the line beam reflected by the light shielding film, the sealing system preferably includes damper unit means (270), and the damper unit means (270) is controlled by the control unit (400). 240 may be disposed in a line symmetrical position with respect to the vertical line.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, the optical fiber bundle unit 242 includes one or more optical fibers 243, and the arrangement structure of the optical fiber bundle unit 242 may be variously changed.

As described above, in the sealing system and the sealing method using the line beam according to the embodiment of the present invention, the energy of the line beam is irradiated with the line beam through the optical fiber bundle unit 242 including the plurality of optical fibers 243. It can be averaged and irradiated obliquely to the substrate, thereby allowing the glass sealant to be uniformly melted at a constant temperature without affecting other electro-optical elements.

The above description is merely illustrative of the present invention, and those skilled in the art may make various modifications and changes without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. In addition, the protection scope of the present invention should be interpreted by the claims, and all technical ideas within the equivalent scope should be construed as being included in the scope of the present invention.

1A is a plan view illustrating a structure of an organic light emitting display device completed through a sealing system and a sealing method of a display device using a line beam according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view of the organic light emitting diode display of FIG. 1 taken along line II-II.

2 is a schematic plan view showing the structure of a sealing system using a line beam according to an embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a sealing method of a display device using a line beam according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a layout view illustrating an arrangement structure of a mask, a substrate, and a head unit in a sealing method of a display device using a line beam according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

5 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing in more detail the optical fiber bundle unit included in the head unit.

Claims (19)

A UVWZ stage equipped with a pair of substrates for a display device coupled thereto, the pair of substrates being aligned in X, Y, Z and rotation directions; A mask having a transmissive area corresponding to the sealing material formed between the two substrates is mounted, the UVW stage can be aligned in the X-axis, Y-axis, and rotational directions, and has a height different from that of the UVWZ stage; Transfer unit for moving the UVWZ stage below the UVW stage, And A head unit for irradiating the line beam through the transmission region of the mask with respect to the sealant, The head unit includes an optical fiber bundle unit for transmitting a laser beam, a bracket for arranging the optical fiber bundle unit to be a line, and a focusing lens for focusing the line beam from the optical fiber bundle unit, The head unit is disposed in a width direction of the substrate, and extends along a length direction of the substrate, wherein the substrate includes a plurality of cell regions corresponding to a display device, and the optical fiber bundle unit is disposed in the plurality of cell regions. A sealing system for a display device using a line beam controlled by a control unit so as to be on and off respectively correspondingly. delete The method of claim 1, The head unit is connected to the first Z-axis transfer unit, the head unit is coupled to the Z-axis transfer unit by a first pivot support to the line beam for irradiating the line beam in the Z-axis direction or inclined direction with respect to the substrate Sealing system for display device. The method of claim 3, wherein And a damper unit for absorbing the line beam reflected among the irradiated line beams on the mask. The method of claim 4, wherein The damper unit is made of a metal material, a sealing system for a display device using a line beam further comprises a recess having a multi-reflection surface, and the cooling means surrounding the recess. The method of claim 4, wherein The damper unit is connected to the second Z-axis transfer unit, the display device using a line beam that is rotatably coupled to the substrate in the axial direction or inclined direction by a second pivotal support for the second Z-axis transfer unit. Sealing system. The method of claim 6, And the second pivot support is controlled by the controller to have a rotation angle corresponding to the rotation angle of the first pivot support. delete delete delete The method of claim 1, And the control unit uses a line beam to drive the optical fiber bundle unit to be selectively turned on corresponding to the transmission area. Placing the pair of substrates on which the sealant is disposed to define a plurality of cell regions formed between the pair of substrates on a UVWZ stage that is aligned in the X, Y, Z, and rotational directions, Mounting the mask having a plurality of transmission regions corresponding to the sealant, and transferring the UVWZ stage below the UVW stage, which can be aligned in the X-axis, Y-axis, and rotational directions; Using the UVWZ stage and the UVW stage to align the sealing material between the pair of substrates and the transmissive region of the mask, Irradiating a line beam to said sealant through at least two said transmission zones, The line beam is irradiated from the head unit axially movable and rotatably coupled by the Z-axis feeder, The head unit includes an optical fiber bundle unit for transmitting a laser beam, a bracket for arranging the optical fiber bundle unit to be a line, and a focusing lens for focusing the line beam from the optical fiber bundle unit, The control unit selects the optical fiber to be turned on or off of the optical fiber bundle unit Method of sealing a display device using a line beam. 13. The method of claim 12, The control unit receives the alignment mark on the mask and the pair of substrates through a vision disposed on the mask and controls the UVWZ stage and the UVW stage. Method of sealing a display device using a line beam. delete 13. The method of claim 12, And the control unit causes the head unit to rotate in an inclined direction with respect to the substrate and simultaneously moves the head unit downward in an axial direction by a rotation angle. The method of claim 15, And the control unit rotates the damper unit at a rotational angle corresponding to the rotational angle of the head unit to absorb the reflected beam of the line beam radiated from the head unit. The method of claim 16, A method of sealing a display device using a line beam, the method comprising: cooling the damper unit. The method of claim 17, And the controller controls the plurality of optical fiber bundle units to be turned on to irradiate a laser beam at the beginning and the end of the substrate in a longitudinal direction. The method of claim 17, And the control unit drives the plurality of optical fibers corresponding to the transmission region of the mask to be selectively turned on in the width direction of the substrate.

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