KR101107710B1 - Method of manufacturing Liquid Crystal Display Device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention comprises the steps of applying a pattern forming material comprising a photoinitiator on a substrate; Irradiating a laser onto a predetermined area on the substrate using a laser irradiation device to cure a material for forming a pattern in the area irradiated with the laser; And removing a material for forming a pattern in a region in which the laser is not irradiated.

By applying a pattern forming material containing a photoinitiator and irradiating a laser to cure the pattern forming material in the laser irradiated area to form a predetermined pattern, the process is simpler than the conventional photolithography process, and mask equipment is not required. Productivity is improved.

Pattern, laser

Description

Method of manufacturing liquid crystal display device

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a general liquid crystal display device.

2A to 2E are cross-sectional views illustrating a column spacer forming process using a conventional photolithography process.

3A to 3C are schematic cross-sectional views showing a pattern forming method according to the present invention.

4A through 4E are schematic cross-sectional views illustrating a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

5A through 5E are schematic cross-sectional views illustrating a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

<Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

101: first substrate 201: second substrate

200: pattern layer 300: column spacer

400: laser irradiation device 500: liquid crystal layer

600: rib structure

The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display device, and more particularly to a method of pattern-forming a predetermined component constituting the liquid crystal display device.

Ultra-thin flat panel displays with a display screen thickness of only a few centimeters (cm). Among them, liquid crystal displays have low operating voltages, which consume less power and can be used as portable devices. Applications range from monitors to spacecraft to aircraft.

The liquid crystal display device includes a lower substrate and an upper substrate facing each other at a predetermined interval, and a liquid crystal layer formed between the two substrates. The arrangement of the liquid crystal layers is changed according to the application of voltage, and accordingly, light transmittance Adjusted to display an image.

Hereinafter, a conventional liquid crystal display device will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a general liquid crystal display device.

As can be seen in FIG. 1, the liquid crystal display device includes a lower substrate 1 and an upper substrate 2 facing each other at a predetermined interval, and a liquid crystal layer 3 formed between the substrates 1 and 2. It is configured by.

Although not illustrated, a thin film transistor is formed on the lower substrate 1 as a switching element, and a pixel electrode is formed as an electrode for applying an electric field. In addition, a light shielding layer is formed on the upper substrate 2 to prevent light leakage, and color filter layers of red, green, and blue are formed, and a common electrode for applying an electric field is formed together with the pixel electrode.

In addition, spacers 4 are formed between the substrates 1 and 2 to uniformly maintain the cell gap between the lower substrate 1 and the upper substrate 2.

The spacer 4 is a ball-shaped ball spacer or a columnar column spacer. As the substrate becomes larger in area, a column spacer capable of more uniformly maintaining a cell gap is mainly used. The spacer 4 shown in the figure is a column spacer.

As such, the liquid crystal display includes various components, and numerous processes are repeatedly performed to form such components. In particular, photolithography is mainly used to pattern various components in various forms.

The column spacer 4 formed between the substrates 1 and 2 to maintain the cell gap is also formed through the photolithography process. Hereinafter, the column spacer formed by the photolithography process will be described.

2A to 2E are cross-sectional views illustrating a column spacer forming process using a conventional photolithography process.

First, as shown in FIG. 2A, the column spacer material 20 is coated on the substrate 10, and the photoresist 30 is applied thereon.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 2B, a mask 40 having a predetermined shape is placed on the substrate 10 and irradiated with light.

Thereafter, as illustrated in FIG. 2C, the pattern is formed by patterning the photoresist 30. The region to which light is irradiated is removed by development, and only the region to which light is not irradiated remains as a photoresist pattern.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 2D, the column spacer material 20 is etched using the photoresist pattern 30 as a mask.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 2E, the photoresist pattern 30 is removed to complete the column spacer 20 having a desired shape.

As described above, the conventional column spacer is formed through a photolithography process. In the photolithography process, an expensive mask is added to increase the production cost, and the process is complicated due to the use of a photoresist.

In addition, since many pattern forming methods using a photolithography method are used in addition to the column spacers, productivity is reduced by that much.

Therefore, there is a demand for a method of patterning column spacers or other components by a simpler method instead of the photolithography method.

The present invention is to provide a pattern forming method of a new method to improve the productivity of the liquid crystal display device by forming a pattern through a simpler method in the pattern formation of the components of the liquid crystal display device do.

In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device by applying the new pattern formation method to other component formation of the liquid crystal display device.

The present invention comprises the steps of applying a pattern forming material comprising a photoinitiator on a substrate; Irradiating a laser onto a predetermined area on the substrate using a laser irradiation device to cure a material for forming a pattern in the area irradiated with the laser; And removing a material for forming a pattern in a region not irradiated with the laser.

That is, the present invention is to apply a pattern forming material containing a photoinitiator, and then irradiate a laser to cure the pattern forming material in the laser irradiated area to form a predetermined pattern, the process is simpler than the conventional photolithography process And productivity is improved, such as no mask equipment is required.

In addition, the present invention provides a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device by applying such a pattern forming method.

That is, the present invention provides a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device by applying the pattern forming method to the formation of column spacers.

In addition, the present invention provides a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device by applying the pattern forming method to the formation of the rib structure.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.

First embodiment

3A to 3C are schematic cross-sectional views showing a pattern forming method according to the present invention.

First, as shown in FIG. 3A, the pattern forming material 200 is coated on the substrate 100.

The coating of the pattern forming material 200 may use a spin coating method or a spinless method.

The pattern forming material 200 includes a photoinitiator.

The photoinitiator serves as an initiator to cure the pattern forming material 200 by laser irradiation, and may be appropriately selected and determined according to the wavelength range of the laser to be irradiated.

The wavelength range of the laser may generally be in the range of 300 to 500 nm, and an argon laser is preferable as the laser having the wavelength range.

An initiator capable of causing an initiation reaction by the laser in the wavelength range of 300 to 500 nm may be triazine-based material, I-369, I-907, I-124, I-184, I-819, EAB, or TAZ-110. Although this is preferable, it is not limited to this, Any material can be applied as long as it is a substance which can cause an initiation reaction by the laser of 300-500 nm wavelength range.

Here, I-369, I-907, I-124, I-184, I-819, EAB, and TAZ-110 are all product names of CIBA-GEIGY Co., Ltd. Optimal wavelength ranges are 320 nm, 305 nm, 329 nm, 331 nm, 392 nm, 352.5 nm and 376 nm, respectively.

The triazine-based material may be a material represented by the following Chemical Formulas 1 to 3, but is not limited thereto.

Formula 1

[N-hexyl-N, N-bis {2-bromo-4- (2,4-bis (trichloromethyl) -s-triazin-6-yl) phenyl} amine] (of lasers in which photoinitiation occurs Optimum wavelength range is 388 nm)

Formula 2

N-hexyl-N, N-bis {4- (2,4-bis (trichloromethyl) -s-triazin-6-yl) phenyl} amine (optimal wavelength range of laser with photoinitiation is 425 nm)

Formula 3

4- (2,4-bis (trichloromethyl) -s-triazin-6-yl) phenyl sulfide (optimal wavelength range of laser for photoinitiation is 368 nm)

On the other hand, the wavelength range of the laser is not limited to 300 to 500nm, it can be changed appropriately, if the wavelength range of the laser is changed, the photoinitiator will be changed accordingly.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 3B, the laser is irradiated to a region of a predetermined pattern forming material 200 on the substrate 100 using the laser irradiation apparatus 400.

When the laser is irradiated in this way, curing is started by the photoinitiator present in the pattern forming material 200 of the laser irradiated region, and the pattern forming material 200 of the region is cured.

Here, the process of irradiating the laser may be performed by fixing the substrate 100 and moving the laser irradiation apparatus 400, by fixing the laser irradiation apparatus 400 and moving the substrate 100 It can also be done.

The wavelength range of the irradiated laser is preferably in the range of 300 to 500 nm as described above, but is not limited thereto.

When the wavelength range of the laser is in the range of 300 to 500nm, it is preferable to use an argon laser.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 3C, the pattern forming material in the region not irradiated with the laser is removed to complete formation of the predetermined pattern 200.

Second embodiment

4A to 4E are schematic cross-sectional views illustrating a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, wherein the pattern forming method according to the first embodiment is applied to column spacer formation.

First, as shown in FIG. 4A, a first substrate and a second substrate are prepared.

The first substrate forms a thin film transistor including a gate electrode 110, a gate insulating layer 120, a semiconductor layer 130, a source electrode 140, and a drain electrode 150 on the first transparent substrate 101. A passivation layer 160 is formed on the thin film transistor, and a pixel electrode 170 connected to the drain electrode 150 is formed on the passivation layer 160 through a contact hole.

The second substrate forms a light blocking layer 210 to prevent leakage of light on the second transparent substrate 201, a color filter layer 220 on the light blocking layer 210, and a color filter layer ( The common electrode 230 is formed on the 220 to prepare.

Although not shown, an alignment layer may be formed on the pixel electrode 170 of the first substrate and the common electrode 230 of the second substrate.

The material and the forming method of each component may be changed within the scope apparent to those skilled in the art.

In particular, in the case of a so-called In-plane switching (IPS) mode liquid crystal display device, the common electrode 230 of the second substrate is formed on the first substrate and formed in parallel with the pixel electrode 170.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 4B, the column spacer material 300 is coated on the second substrate.

The column spacer material 300 includes a photoinitiator.

Since the photoinitiator is the same as the first embodiment described above, a detailed description thereof will be omitted. In addition, the coating of the column spacer material 300 may also be performed using the spin coating method or the spinless method.

In the drawing, although the material for the column spacer 300 is formed on the second substrate, the present invention is not limited thereto and may be formed on the first substrate.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 4C, the laser is irradiated to a predetermined region of the column spacer material 300 on the second substrate by using the laser irradiation apparatus 400.

When the laser is irradiated in this way, curing is started by the photoinitiator present in the column spacer material 300 in the laser irradiated region, and the material for the column spacer 300 in the region is cured.

Here, the column spacer is advantageously formed in the light blocking layer 210 in terms of the aperture ratio. Therefore, the laser irradiation using the laser irradiation device 400 is preferably performed on the light shielding layer 210.

In addition, the laser irradiation method, the wavelength range of the laser to be irradiated, and the type of laser are the same as in the first embodiment described above.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 4D, the column spacer 300 is removed to complete the column spacer 300.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 4E, the first substrate and the second substrate are bonded to each other, and a liquid crystal layer 500 is formed between the first substrate and the second substrate.

The forming of the liquid crystal layer 500 may be performed by bonding the first substrate and the second substrate and then injecting the liquid crystal into the bonded substrate (so-called vacuum injection method), and the first and second substrates. The liquid crystal may be added dropwise onto any one of the substrates and then bonded to both substrates (so-called liquid crystal dropping method).

However, when the substrate size is large, it is preferable to use the liquid crystal dropping method because the injection time of the liquid crystal takes a long time and the productivity decreases.

Third embodiment

5A to 5E are schematic cross-sectional views illustrating a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device according to another embodiment of the present invention. The pattern forming method according to the first embodiment of the present invention is called a lip in a so-called vertical alignment (VA) mode ( Rib) It is applied to the formation of structures.

First, as shown in FIG. 5A, a first substrate and a second substrate are prepared.

The first substrate forms a thin film transistor including a gate electrode 110, a gate insulating layer 120, a semiconductor layer 130, a source electrode 140, and a drain electrode 150 on the first transparent substrate 101. A passivation layer 160 is formed on the thin film transistor, and a pixel electrode 170 connected to the drain electrode 150 is formed on the passivation layer 160 through a contact hole.

The second substrate forms a light blocking layer 210 to prevent leakage of light on the second transparent substrate 201, a color filter layer 220 on the light blocking layer 210, and a color filter layer ( The common electrode 230 is formed on the 220 to prepare.

In this case, although not shown, slits may be formed in the pixel electrode 170 or the common electrode 230. The slit serves to distort the electric field together with the lip structure to be described later, and a plurality of regions having different liquid crystal driving are formed through the electric field distortion, thereby enabling multi-domain implementation.

Although not shown, an alignment layer may be formed on the pixel electrode 170 of the first substrate and the common electrode 230 of the second substrate.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 5B, the lip structure material 600 is coated on the second substrate.

The lip structure material 600 includes a photoinitiator.

Since the photoinitiator is the same as the first embodiment described above, a detailed description thereof will be omitted. In addition, the coating of the material 600 for the lip structure may also be performed using a spin coating method or a spinless method.

In the figure, the lip structure material 600 is shown on the second substrate, but is not limited thereto, and may be formed on the first substrate.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 5C, the laser is irradiated to a predetermined region of the lip structure material 600 on the second substrate using the laser irradiation apparatus 400.

When the laser is irradiated as described above, curing is started by the photoinitiator present in the lip structure material 600 in the region to which the laser is irradiated, and the lip structure material 600 in the region is cured.

In this case, the lip structure may be formed in the pixel area to implement the multi-domain. Therefore, the laser irradiation using the laser irradiation apparatus 400 is preferably performed in a region corresponding to the pixel electrode 170 forming region.

In addition, the lip structure, as described above, enables multi-domain realization through electric field distortion, and thus, the lip structure may be divided into various domains in combination with the slit. Accordingly, the lip structure may be changed into various shapes such as +, −, × shapes, and accordingly, it is preferable to determine the laser irradiation area according to the shape of the lip structure.

In addition, the laser irradiation method, the wavelength range of the laser to be irradiated, and the type of laser are the same as in the first embodiment described above.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 5D, the lip structure 600 is completed by removing the material for the lip structure from the region not irradiated with the laser.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 5E, the first substrate and the second substrate are bonded to each other, and the liquid crystal layer 500 is formed between the first substrate and the second substrate.

The forming of the liquid crystal layer 500 is the same as in the above-described second embodiment.

Fourth embodiment

The present invention may also simultaneously form a column spacer and a rib structure having a so-called vertical alignment (VA) mode by using the pattern forming method according to the first embodiment.

That is, although not shown, the present invention includes the steps of preparing a first substrate and a second substrate; Simultaneously forming a column spacer and a lip structure on any one of the first substrate and the second substrate; And it provides a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device comprising the step of forming a liquid crystal layer between the first substrate and the second substrate.

At this time, the step of simultaneously forming the column spacer and the rib structure, the step of applying a material comprising a photoinitiator on any one substrate; Irradiating a laser onto a predetermined area on the substrate by using a laser irradiation device to cure a material of the area irradiated with the laser; And removing the material of the region not irradiated with the laser to form the column spacer and the lip structure.

Here, the column spacer and the lip structure, as can be seen in the above-described second and third embodiments, since the positions formed do not overlap each other, it is also possible to form by irradiating one type of photoinitiator and one type of laser. Do.

However, for more accurate process control, it may be formed by irradiating two kinds of photoinitiators and two kinds of lasers. That is, as the photoinitiator, it is also possible to use two kinds of photoinitiators different from each other in the wavelength range of the laser in which the photoinitiation occurs, and to irradiate the laser irradiation with lasers having different wavelengths in the column spacer forming region and the lip structure forming region.

Other components are the same as the above-described second and third embodiments, and thus detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and may be modified within the scope apparent to those skilled in the art.

The present invention according to the above configuration is to apply a pattern forming material containing a photoinitiator and then irradiate a laser to cure the pattern forming material in the laser irradiated area to form a predetermined pattern, conventional photolithography process Compared to the above, productivity is improved, such as a simple process and no mask equipment.

Claims (19)

delete delete delete delete delete delete Preparing a first substrate and a second substrate; Forming a column spacer on any one of the first substrate and the second substrate; And And forming a liquid crystal layer between the first substrate and the second substrate, At this time, the step of forming the column spacer Applying a material for a column spacer including a photoinitiator on the one substrate; Irradiating a laser onto a predetermined area on the substrate using a laser irradiation device to cure the material for the column spacer in the area irradiated with the laser; And And removing the material for the column spacer in the region not irradiated with the laser to form a column spacer. Preparing a first substrate and a second substrate; Forming a rib structure on any one of the first substrate and the second substrate; And And forming a liquid crystal layer between the first substrate and the second substrate, At this time, the step of forming the lip structure Applying a material for a lip structure comprising a photoinitiator on the one substrate; Irradiating a laser onto a predetermined area on the substrate using a laser irradiation device to cure the material for the lip structure of the area to which the laser is irradiated; And And removing the material for the lip structure in the region not irradiated with the laser to form a lip structure. 9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, Preparing the first substrate includes forming a thin film transistor and a pixel electrode on the first substrate, The preparing of the second substrate may include forming a light blocking layer and a color filter layer on the second substrate. 10. The method of claim 9, And forming a common electrode on the first substrate or the second substrate. 10. The method of claim 9, And the laser irradiation is performed in a region corresponding to the light blocking layer. 10. The method of claim 9, And the laser irradiation is performed in a region corresponding to the pixel electrode. The method of claim 8, And a slit is further formed on the first substrate or the second substrate to distort the electric field together with the lip structure. 9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, The forming of the liquid crystal layer is a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device, characterized in that the step of injecting the liquid crystal into the bonded substrate after bonding the first substrate and the second substrate. 9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, The forming of the liquid crystal layer is performed by dropping a liquid crystal onto either one of the first substrate and the second substrate, and then bonding the two substrates together. Preparing a first substrate and a second substrate; Simultaneously forming a column spacer and a lip structure on any one of the first substrate and the second substrate; And And forming a liquid crystal layer between the first substrate and the second substrate, At this time, the step of forming the column spacer and the rib structure at the same time Applying a material comprising a photoinitiator onto the substrate; Irradiating a laser onto a predetermined area on the substrate by using a laser irradiation device to cure a material of the area irradiated with the laser; And And forming a column spacer and a lip structure by removing a material of the region not irradiated with the laser. The method of claim 16, The photoinitiator is composed of two kinds of photoinitiators different from each other in the wavelength range of the laser that the photoinitiation occurs, The laser irradiation method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device, characterized in that for irradiating a laser of different wavelengths to the column spacer forming region and the rib structure forming region. The method according to any one of claims 7, 8 and 16, Irradiating a laser to a predetermined area on the substrate using the laser irradiation apparatus, may be performed by moving the substrate while the laser irradiation apparatus is fixed, or by moving the laser irradiation apparatus while the substrate is fixed Doing, The laser is a manufacturing method of the liquid crystal display device having a wavelength range of 300 to 500nm. The method according to any one of claims 7, 8 and 16, The photoinitiator is a triazine-based material, I-369, I-907, I-124, I-184, I-819, EAB, TAZ-110 manufacturing method of a liquid crystal display device.

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