KR101461028B1 - Apparatus for Fabricating Flat Panel Display Device and Method for Fabricating the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention simplifies the manufacturing process of a flat panel display device by performing a patterning process without using a photolithography process, and minimizes deformation of the soft malls for the manufacture of flat panel display devices and enables manufacture of flat panel display devices And a method of manufacturing the same.

The apparatus for manufacturing a flat panel display device includes a master mold having a thin film pattern formed thereon; A soft mold having a groove corresponding to the thin film pattern formed by curing a liquid molding material applied on the master mold; And a support plate attached to the soft mold through an adhesive to support the soft mold, wherein the soft mold is attached to the support plate and then heat-treated.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for manufacturing a flat panel display device,

1 is a perspective view showing an active matrix type liquid crystal display element;

2 is a view for explaining an apparatus and a method for manufacturing a flat panel display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a view showing the movement of the etch resist solution when the soft mold and the substrate shown in Fig. 2 are in contact with each other. Fig.

4 is a view showing a process of manufacturing the illustrated soft mold.

5 is a view showing a manufacturing process of a soft mold according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a view showing a manufacturing process of a soft mold according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

7 is a view showing a manufacturing process of a soft mold according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

8 is a view showing a manufacturing process of a soft mold according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

    Description of the Related Art

131: substrate 133a: etch resist solution

134: soft mold 132a: thin film

132b: thin film pattern 15: liquid crystal

19: Data line 20: Thin film transistor

21: pixel electrode 22: color filter substrate

143: mold support plate 184: master mold

145: Adhesive

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a flat panel display device, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for manufacturing a flat panel display device capable of performing a patterning process without using a photolithography process.

In recent information society, the importance of display devices as visual information delivery media is emphasized more than ever. Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) or cathode ray tube, which is currently mainstream, has a problem in weight and volume.

The flat panel display device includes a liquid crystal display (LCD), a field emission display (FED), a plasma display panel (PDP), and an electroluminescence (EL) Most of them are commercialized and put on the market.

Liquid crystal display devices can meet the trend of thin and small size of electronic products and have improved mass productivity and are rapidly replacing cathode ray tubes in many applications.

In particular, an active matrix type liquid crystal display device that drives a liquid crystal cell using a thin film transistor (hereinafter referred to as "TFT") has an advantage in that it has excellent image quality and low power consumption. And research and development achievements are rapidly evolving into larger size and higher resolution.

In such an active matrix type liquid crystal display device, the color filter substrate 22 and the TFT array substrate 23 are bonded together with the liquid crystal layer 15 therebetween as shown in Fig. The liquid crystal display element shown in Fig. 1 shows a part of the entire effective screen.

On the color filter substrate 22, a color filter 13 and a common electrode 14 are formed on the back surface of the upper glass substrate 12. On the front surface of the upper glass substrate 12, a polarizing plate 11 is attached. The color filter 13 is provided with color filter layers of red (R), green (G) and blue (B) colors to transmit light in a specific wavelength band, thereby enabling color display. A black matrix (not shown) is formed between the color filters 13 of adjacent colors.

The data lines 19 and the gate lines 18 are mutually intersected on the entire surface of the lower glass substrate 16 and the TFTs 20 are formed at the intersections of the data lines 19 and the gate lines 18 on the TFT array substrate 23. On the front surface of the lower glass substrate 16, a pixel electrode 21 is formed in a cell region between the data line 19 and the gate line 18. The TFT 20 drives the pixel electrode 21 by switching the data transmission path between the data line 19 and the pixel electrode 21 in response to the scanning signal from the gate line 18. [ A polarizing plate 17 is attached to the back surface of the TFT array substrate 23.

The liquid crystal layer 15 controls the amount of light transmitted through the TFT array substrate 23 by the electric field applied thereto.

The polarizing plates 11 and 17 attached on the color filter substrate 22 and the TFT substrate 23 transmit the polarized light in either direction and the polarizing direction of the liquid crystal 15 when the liquid crystal 15 is in the 90 [ Are orthogonal to each other.

An alignment film (not shown) is formed on the liquid crystal opposed surfaces of the color filter substrate 22 and the array TFT substrate 23.

The manufacturing process for manufacturing the active matrix type liquid crystal display device is divided into a substrate cleaning process, a substrate patterning process, an orientation film formation / rubbing process, a substrate adhesion / liquid crystal injection process, a mounting process, an inspection process, and a repair process. The substrate cleaning process removes contaminants on the surface of the substrate of the liquid crystal display element with a cleaning liquid. The substrate patterning process is divided into a patterning process of the color filter substrate and a patterning process of the TFT array substrate. In the alignment film formation / rubbing process, an alignment film is applied to each of the color filter substrate and the TFT array substrate, and the alignment film is rubbed with a rubbing cloth or the like. In the substrate bonding / liquid crystal injection process, the color filter substrate and the TFT array substrate are bonded using a sealant, the liquid crystal and the spacer are injected through the liquid crystal injection hole, and then the liquid crystal injection hole is sealed. The mounting process connects a tape carrier package (hereinafter referred to as "TCP ") on which an integrated circuit such as a gate drive integrated circuit and a data drive integrated circuit is mounted to a pad portion on the substrate. Such a drive integrated circuit may be directly mounted on a substrate by a chip on glass (hereinafter referred to as "COG") method in addition to a tape automated bonding method using the TCP described above. The inspection process includes an electrical inspection performed after the signal lines and pixel electrodes such as the data lines and the gate lines are formed on the TFT array substrate, and the electrical inspection and the visual inspection performed after the substrate adhesion / liquid crystal injection process. The repair process performs restoration on the substrate determined to be repairable by the inspection process. Substances that can not be repaired in the inspection process are discarded.

In a method of manufacturing most flat panel display devices including such a liquid crystal display device, a thin film material deposited on a substrate is patterned by a photolithography process. The photolithography process is generally a series of photolithography processes including application of photoresist, mask alignment, exposure, development and cleaning. However, such a photolithography process requires a long process time, a large waste of the photoresist material and the strip solution, and requires expensive equipment such as an exposure apparatus.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method of manufacturing a flat panel display device that simplifies a manufacturing process by performing a patterning process without using a photolithography process.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for manufacturing a flat panel display device and a method of manufacturing the same, which can minimize the deformation of a soft mold and maximize the service life by using a mold supporting plate and a heat treatment process.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a flat panel display device, including: forming a master mold having a thin film pattern; A soft mold having a groove corresponding to the thin film pattern formed by curing a liquid molding material applied on the master mold; And a mold supporting plate attached to the soft mold through an adhesive to support the soft mold, wherein the soft mold is attached to the mold supporting plate and then heat-treated.

The soft mold is characterized in that it is heat-treated for 10 minutes to 5 hours in an environment of 50 ° C to 80 ° C.

The mold supporting plate is made of glass and has a thickness of about 0.1 to 3 mm.

The soft mold is characterized by comprising polydimethylsiloxane.

And the liquid molding material is cured in a room temperature environment for 2 hours to 2 days.

A manufacturing method of an apparatus for manufacturing a flat panel display device according to the present invention includes: preparing a master mold having a thin film pattern; Applying a liquid molding material onto the master mold; Curing the liquid molding material to form a soft mold having grooves having the same shape as the thin film pattern; Attaching a mold support plate for supporting the soft mold to the soft mold through an adhesive; And heat treating the soft mold.

And separating the soft mold from the master mold before attaching the mold support plate to the soft mold.

And separating the soft mold from the master mold after attaching the mold support plate to the soft mold.

Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 8. FIG.

2 and 3, a method of manufacturing a flat panel display device according to an embodiment of the present invention allows a designer to form a thin film pattern having a desired shape using a soft mold 134 instead of the conventional photoresist pattern process .

The thin film pattern process using the soft mold 134 includes a process of applying an etch resist solution 133a onto the substrate 131 on which the thin film 132a is formed and a process of applying an etch resist layer 133 using a soft mold 134 ), An etching process for patterning the thin film 132, a strip process of the residual etch resist pattern, and an inspection process.

The thin film 132a formed on the substrate 131 is formed on the substrate 131 by a known coating process or a vapor deposition process as a base material used as a metal pattern, an organic pattern and an inorganic pattern existing in an array of flat panel display elements do.

The etch resist solution 133a includes a main resin, an activator, an initiator, a thermal flow derivative, and the like, which is at least one of a liquid polymer precursor and a liquid monomer.

The etch resist solution 133a containing such a material is applied on the thin film 132a by an application process such as nozzle jetting, spin coating, or the like.

The soft mold 134 is made of a rubber material having high elasticity, such as polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), polyurethane, cross-linked novolac resin, A groove 134a corresponding to the pattern to be left in the groove 134a is formed. Here, the soft mold 134 having the groove 134a and the protruding surface 134b is surface-treated with hydrophobicity or hydrophilicity. Hereinafter, the present invention will be described on the assumption that the soft mold 134 is hydrophobic.

The soft mold 134 is aligned on the etch resist solution 133a and then pressed against the etch resist solution 133a only by the weight of the degree of its self weight.

For example, the capillary force generated by the pressure between the soft mold 134 and the glass substrate 131 and the repulsive force between the soft mold 134 and the etch resist solution 132a cause the etch resist solution 133a move into the groove 134a of the soft mold 134 as shown in Fig. As a result, an etch resist pattern 133b is formed on the thin film 132a in the form of a pattern reversely transferred to the groove 134a pattern of the soft mold 134. [ After the soft mold 134 and the substrate 131 are separated, a wet etching process or a dry etching process is performed. At this time, since the etch resist pattern 133b acts as a mask, only the thin film 132a located under the etch resist pattern 133b remains on the substrate 131, and the remaining thin film 132a is removed. Subsequently, the etch resist pattern 134b is removed by a strip process, and a short, disconnection, or the like of the thin film pattern 132b is inspected through electrical and optical inspection of the thin film pattern 132b.

The soft mold 134 is separated from the substrate 131 and is then cleaned with ultraviolet rays (UV) and ozone (O ₃ ), and is then reintroduced into the patterning process of the other thin film 132a.

Hereinafter, a method of manufacturing the soft mold 134 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 will be described with reference to FIG.

4, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and a small amount of a curing agent (not shown) are formed on a master mold 184 on which a pattern 182 of at least one of a photoresist pattern and an inorganic pattern is formed on a substrate 180 a molding material 135 containing a curing agent is applied. Here, the molding material 135 is in a liquid polymer precursor state. Thereafter, the liquid molding material 135 is cured for about one hour in an environment of about 80 캜 and then separated from the master mold 184 to form a soft mold having the grooves 134a embedded in the reference surface 134b and the reference surface 134b. (134).

Since the thin mold pattern can be formed using the soft mold 134 as described above, the manufacturing process of the flat panel display device can be simplified compared to the conventional photo process.

Meanwhile, the soft mold 134 in FIG. 4 has a problem in that the length of the soft mold 134 in the state of being separated from the master mold 184 is reduced by about 1% as compared with the length of the original molding material. This is attributed to heat shrinkage in the process of curing the liquid molding compound 135 at about 80 ° C for about 1 hour.

Therefore, the present invention proposes a technique capable of preventing the soft mold 134 from being deformed.

5 shows a method of manufacturing the soft mold 134 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, a master mold 184 having a thin film pattern 182 such as a photoresist pattern, an inorganic pattern, or the like is formed on a substrate 180.

A liquid molding material 135 for forming a soft mold such as polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is coated on the master mold 184 on which the thin film pattern 182 is formed. Thereafter, the liquid molding material 135 is cured on the master mold 184 at room temperature (about 25 ° C) for about 2 hours to 2 days, more preferably for about 24 hours, (134).

Thereafter, a mold supporting plate 143 (or a "back-plane") coated with an adhesive 145 is provided, and a soft mold (not shown) The mold supporting plate 143 is brought into close contact with the bottom surface of the mold 134 and left for about 2 hours to 2 days to cure the adhesive 145. On the other hand, when an ultraviolet (UV) curable adhesive is used, UV of about 300 to 450 nm is irradiated for about 10 to 30 minutes to cure.

Thus, the mold supporting plate 143 is firmly attached to the back surface of the soft mold 134 through the adhesive 145.

As the adhesive 145, a mixture of a photoinitiator such as Igarcure 379 and a photoinitiator such as butyl methacrylate and Igarcure 379 may be used for glycidyl methacrylate .

Here, the mold supporting plate 143 is made of glass having a thickness of 0.1 to 3 mm and has a UV transmittance of 95% or more. The mold support plate 143 serves to prevent the length of the soft mold 134 from being reduced. The mold support plate 143 serves to support the soft mold 134 when separating the soft mold 134 from the master mold 184 and transferring the soft mold 134 to a specific location.

The soft mold 134 having the same shape as the thin film pattern 182 in the master mold 184 is then used for manufacturing the flat display device by separating the soft mold 134 from the master mold 184 .

As described above, in the present invention, since the soft mold 134 is supported by the mold supporting portion 143, it is possible to prevent the length of the soft mold 134 from being reduced compared to the original molding material 135.

6 shows a method of manufacturing the soft mold 134 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. 6, the same process as that of the series of manufacturing processes in FIG. 5 is performed, and a process of aging the soft mold 134 for about 7 days after the soft mold 134 is separated from the master mold 184 is added. Such a second embodiment also makes it possible to prevent the soft mold 134 from being reduced in length as compared with the original molding material 135.

7 shows a method of manufacturing the soft mold 134 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. 6, the same process as the series of manufacturing processes in FIG. 5 is performed, the soft mold 134 is separated from the master mold 184, and the heat treatment process is performed in an environment of 50 ° C. to 80 ° C. for about 10 minutes to 5 hours Thereby stabilizing the soft mold 134. Such a second embodiment also makes it possible to prevent the soft mold 134 from being reduced in length as compared with the original molding material 135.

On the other hand, the method of manufacturing the soft mold 134 according to the first to third embodiments reduces shrinkage of the soft mold 134, while the soft mold 134 in the first embodiment has a short life span And the soft mold 134 in the second embodiment is not sufficiently cured. Therefore, when the patterning process is performed, there arises a problem that the organic matter or the like penetrates into the soft mold 134, and the production period is shortened by about 7 days There is a disadvantage of lengthening.

Table 1 summarizes the data for this embodiment.

division Thermal curing / heat treatment (presence) Degree of soft mold deformation Soft mold life 4 80 캜, 1 h / heat treatment (no) 10,000 ± 1,000 ppm More than 1000 times First Embodiment 25 ℃, 24h / Heat treatment (no) 300 ± 10 ppm About 3 times Second Embodiment Aging at 25 ℃, 24h / 7 days 300 ± 10 ppm About 1000 times Third Embodiment 25 ℃, 24h / heat treatment (oil) 300 ± 10 ppm More than 1000 times

That is, referring to Table 1, the process conditions that minimize the deformation of the soft mold 134, maximize the life of the soft mold 134, and maximize the durability of the soft mold 134, .

Therefore, the apparatus and method for manufacturing a flat panel display device according to the present invention minimize the deformation of the soft mold 134 by using the mold supporting plate 143 and the heat treatment process under predetermined conditions, 134 can be maximized and the durability and the like of the soft mold 134 can be maximized.

8 is a view showing a manufacturing method of the soft mold 134 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 8, a master mold 184 having a thin film pattern 182 such as a photoresist pattern, an inorganic pattern, or the like is formed on a substrate 180.

A liquid molding material 135 for forming a soft mold such as polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is coated on the master mold 184 on which the thin film pattern 182 is formed. Thereafter, the soft mold 134 in a state of not being separated from the master mold 184 is completed as the liquid molding material 135 is cured on the master mold 184 at room temperature (about 25 ° C) for about 1 to 24 hours.

Thereafter, unlike the first to third embodiments, the soft mold 134 is separated from the master mold 184 before the mold supporting plate 143 is attached. That is, after the soft mold 134 is separated from the master mold 184, the mold supporting plate 143 is attached to the soft mold 134, and the heat treatment process is performed under the same conditions as in the third embodiment of the present invention. Accordingly, the same effects as those of the third embodiment of the present invention are obtained.

The apparatus and method for manufacturing a flat panel display device according to the present invention are applicable to flat panel display devices such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), a field emission display (FED), a plasma display panel (PDP), and an electroluminescent , An organic material layer, an inorganic material layer, and the like.

As described above, the method of manufacturing a flat panel display device according to the present invention can simplify a manufacturing process of a flat panel display device by performing a patterning process without using a photolithography process.

In addition, the apparatus and method for manufacturing a flat panel display device according to the present invention minimize the deformation of a soft mold by using a mold supporting plate and a heat treatment process, maximize the service life, and maximize durability.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention should not be limited to the contents described in the detailed description of the specification, but should be defined by the claims.

Claims (12)

A master mold having a thin film pattern formed thereon; A soft mold having a groove corresponding to the thin film pattern formed by curing a liquid molding material applied on the master mold; And a mold supporting plate attached to the soft mold through a separate adhesive to support the soft mold, The mold supporting plate is made of glass having a thickness of 0.1 to 3 mm and a UV transmittance of 95% or more to support the soft mold, The separate adhesive may be a mixture of glycidyl methacrylate and a photoinitiator or a mixture of butyl methacrylate and a photoinitiator so that UV light having a wavelength of 300 to 450 nm Is irradiated and cured for a preset time, Wherein the soft mold is attached to the mold supporting plate and then heat-treated at a temperature of 50 ° C to 80 ° C for 10 minutes to 5 hours for a preset time. delete delete The method according to claim 1, Wherein the soft mold comprises polydimethylsiloxane. ≪ RTI ID = 0.0 > 8. < / RTI > The method according to claim 1, Wherein the liquid molding material is cured at room temperature for 2 hours to 2 days. Providing a master mold having a thin film pattern formed thereon; Applying a liquid molding material onto the master mold; Curing the liquid molding material to form a soft mold having grooves having the same shape as the thin film pattern; A mold support plate made of glass having a thickness of 0.1 to 3 mm and a UV transmittance of 95% or more is formed by mixing a glycidyl methacrylate and a photoinitiator or a butylmethacrylate, Supporting the soft mold by attaching the soft mold to the soft mold using an adhesive made of a material mixed with a photoinitiator; Irradiating UV of any one of 300 to 450 nm for a predetermined time to cure the adhesive; And And heat treating the soft mold at a temperature of 50 ° C to 80 ° C for 10 minutes to 5 hours for a preset time. delete delete The method according to claim 6, Wherein the liquid molding material is exposed and cured in a room temperature environment for 2 hours to 2 days. The method according to claim 6, Wherein the liquid molding material comprises polydimethylsiloxane. ≪ RTI ID = 0.0 > 8. < / RTI > The method according to claim 6, Further comprising separating the soft mold from the master mold before attaching the mold support plate to the soft mold. The method according to claim 6, Further comprising the step of separating the soft mold from the master mold after attaching the mold support plate to the soft mold.

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