KR101842136B1 - Electrophoretic display device and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an electrophoretic display device capable of improving display quality and manufacturing efficiency and a method of manufacturing the same.
An electrophoretic display device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes barrier ribs formed to surround a pixel electrode formed on a lower substrate and defining a plurality of pixel regions; An electrophoretic dispersion liquid filled in the plurality of pixel regions including a plurality of charged particles and a solvent colored to display a specific color; A blocking pattern formed on the barrier ribs to prevent overflow of the electrophoretic dispersion filled in the plurality of pixel regions; And an upper substrate on which a common electrode and a sealing layer for attaching to the lower substrate are formed.

Description

ELECTROPHORETIC DISPLAY DEVICE AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOF FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001]

The present invention relates to a display device, and more particularly, to an electrophoretic display device capable of improving display quality and manufacturing efficiency and a method of manufacturing the same.

An electrophoretic display device refers to an apparatus that displays an image by using an electrophoresis phenomenon in which colored charged particles move by an electric field applied from the outside. Here, the electrophoresis phenomenon means that the charged particles move in the liquid by the Coulomb force when an electric field is applied to an electrophoretic dispersion (e-ink) in which the charged particles are dispersed in the liquid.

The electrophoretic display using electrophoresis has a characteristic of bistability, so that the original image can be displayed for a long time even when the applied voltage is removed. That is, the electrophoretic display device is suitable for the e-book field in which it is not required to swiftly change the screen because the electrophoretic display device can maintain a certain screen for a long time without continuously applying a voltage.

In addition, the electrophoretic display device has no dependency on the viewing angle, unlike the liquid crystal display device, and can provide a comfortable image on the eye to a degree similar to paper. In addition, demand is increasing as it has the advantages of flexing freely, flexibility, low power consumption and eco-like.

1 is a view showing an electrophoretic display device according to the prior art.

Referring to FIG. 1, the electrophoretic display device according to the related art includes a lower substrate 10 and an upper substrate 20 facing each other, and an electrophoretic film (not shown) interposed between the lower substrate 10 and the upper substrate 20, (30).

The lower substrate 10 includes a plurality of gate lines (not shown) and a plurality of data lines (not shown) formed so as to cross each other. A plurality of pixels are defined by the gate line and the data line.

A thin film transistor (TFT) 12 and a pixel electrode 14 are formed on a plurality of pixels formed on the lower substrate 10.

The thin film transistor 12 is switched in accordance with the scan signal applied through the gate line. The data voltage supplied to the data line is supplied to the pixel electrode 14 by switching of the thin film transistor 12. [

A common electrode 22 facing the pixel electrode 14 is formed on the upper substrate 20.

The electrophoretic film 30 includes a plurality of microcapsules 32 composed of a plurality of charged particles 34 and a solvent and a protective layer 32 for protecting the microcapsules 32 and for adhesion to the lower substrate 10. [ .

Here, a part of the plurality of charged particles 34 is charged positively (+) and the remaining part is charged negatively (-).

When an electric field is formed between the pixel electrode 14 of the lower substrate 10 and the common electrode 22 of the upper substrate 20, the charged particles 34 contained in the microcapsule 32 are moved by electrophoresis Thereby realizing an image.

The electrophoretic display device according to the related art produces a lower substrate 10, an upper substrate 20 and a lamination electrophoresis film 30, respectively. Thereafter, the electrophoretic film 30 is interposed between the lower substrate 10 and the upper substrate 20.

Here, the electrophoretic film 30 is stored and transported in a state of being attached to the upper substrate 20, and a release film (not shown) attached to the lower substrate 10 is removed immediately before the lower substrate 10 is laminated, And is attached to the lower substrate 10.

Since the electrophoretic display device according to the related art must separately manufacture the lower substrate 10, the upper substrate 20, and the electrophoretic film 30, the manufacturing process is complicated, the manufacturing time is long, . In addition, since the separately prepared electrophoretic film 30 must be applied, the manufacturing cost increases.

In order to solve these problems, there has been proposed a technique of internalizing the electrophoresis layer on the lower substrate. However, since the manufacturing process technology for internalizing the electrophoresis layer on the lower substrate is not matured, .

In particular, there is a problem that the electrophoretic dispersion liquid (charged particles and solvent) filled in the lower substrate is not smoothly sealed, the electrophoretic dispersion liquid is flooded to the outside, or outside air and moisture permeation are not completely blocked. As a result, the stability of the charged particles is deteriorated, and the driving reliability of the electrophoretic display device is deteriorated.

Particularly, when the electrophoretic display device displays a full color image, there is a problem that charged particles colored with a specific color are overflowed to neighboring pixels of different colors and a color image can not be displayed.

An object of the present invention is to provide an electrophoretic display device having high display quality and a method of manufacturing the same.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a method for manufacturing an electrophoretic display device that can improve the manufacturing efficiency of an electrophoretic display device.

An object of the present invention is to provide an electrophoretic display device and a method of manufacturing the same that can improve stability and driving reliability of charged particles incorporated in a lower substrate.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an electrophoretic display device and a method of manufacturing the electrophoretic display device capable of realizing high quality images in various colors.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, or may be obvious to those skilled in the art from the description and the claims. In addition, other features and advantages of the present invention may be newly understood through embodiments of the present invention.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electrophoretic display device including: a barrier rib formed to surround a pixel electrode formed on a lower substrate and defining a plurality of pixel regions; An electrophoretic dispersion liquid filled in the plurality of pixel regions including a plurality of charged particles and a solvent colored to display a specific color; A blocking pattern formed on the barrier ribs to prevent overflow of the electrophoretic dispersion filled in the plurality of pixel regions; And an upper substrate on which a common electrode and a sealing layer for attaching to the lower substrate are formed.

In order to achieve the above object, the blocking pattern of the electrophoretic display device according to an embodiment of the present invention is characterized by having a solvent of the electrophoretic dispersion and hydrophobicity.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing an electrophoretic display including: forming a barrier rib surrounding a pixel electrode formed in a pixel region of a lower substrate; Forming a blocking pattern with a predetermined material on the barrier ribs; Filling the pixel region with an electrophoretic dispersion containing a plurality of charged particles and a solvent colored to display a specific color; A lower electrode, a common electrode, and a sealing layer for adhesion with the lower substrate; And bonding the lower substrate and the upper substrate together.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing an electrophoretic display device, comprising: forming a barrier pattern by coating a material including a fluorine-based material or a fluorine-based polymer on an upper portion of a barrier rib.

The present invention can provide a method of manufacturing an electrophoretic display device capable of internalizing an electrophoretic dispersion on a lower substrate.

The method of manufacturing an electrophoretic display device according to an embodiment of the present invention can prevent defects that the electrophoretic dispersion liquid overflows to neighboring pixels when the electrophoretic dispersion liquid is internalized in the lower substrate.

The present invention can provide an electrophoretic display device having a high display quality and a method of manufacturing the same.

The present invention according to the embodiment can improve the manufacturing efficiency of the electrophoretic display device.

The present invention can provide an electrophoretic display device and a method of manufacturing the electrophoretic display device, which can improve stability and driving reliability of charged particles incorporated in a lower substrate.

The present invention can provide an electrophoretic display device and a method of manufacturing the same that can realize an image of high quality in various colors.

The manufacturing method of the electrophoretic display device according to the embodiment of the present invention can improve the mass productivity of the electrophoretic display device.

The electrophoretic display device according to the embodiment of the present invention can improve the driving reliability.

In addition, other features and advantages of the present invention may be newly understood through embodiments of the present invention.

1 is a view showing an electrophoretic display device according to a prior art.
2 is a view showing an electrophoretic display device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
3 and 4 are plan views showing a lower substrate of the electrophoretic display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
5 to 9 are views showing a manufacturing method of the electrophoretic display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
10 is a view showing an electrophoretic display device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
11 is a view showing a manufacturing method of an electrophoretic display device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, an electrophoretic display device and a manufacturing method thereof according to embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In describing an embodiment of the present invention, when it is described that a structure is formed on or above another structure, and below or below it, such a substrate may be used as well as in the case where these structures are in contact with each other, To the extent that a third structure is interposed between the first and second structures.

The present invention proposes an electrophoretic display device in which an electrophoretic dispersion containing a charged particle and a solvent (binder) is embedded in a lower substrate and a manufacturing method thereof.

The technical idea of the present invention can be applied to all types of electrophoretic display devices whether or not they are mono or color implementations.

The present invention can be applied not only to an electrophoretic display device including a mono type and a color filter but also to a case where charged particles in an electrophoretic dispersion (electrophoretic ink) are red, blue, green, The present invention can be similarly applied to an electrophoretic display device in which colors of cyan, magenta, black, and white are selectively colored to display a full color image.

FIG. 2 is a view showing an electrophoretic display device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 3 and 4 are plan views showing a lower substrate of the electrophoretic display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

2 to 4, the electrophoretic display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a lower substrate 100 and an upper substrate 200 having an electrophoretic dispersion liquid therein.

The lower substrate 100 includes a lower base substrate 110, a TFT 120, a pixel electrode 130, a barrier 140, an electrophoretic dispersion 150, and a blocking pattern 160.

The lower base substrate 110 may be a transparent glass substrate, a plastic substrate having flexibility, or a metal substrate. However, since the lower substrate is located on the opposite side of the screen on which the image is displayed, the lower base substrate 110 does not necessarily have to be transparent.

Although not shown in the figure, the lower base substrate 110 includes a plurality of gate lines and a plurality of data lines formed to cross each other.

A plurality of pixels are defined by the intersection of the plurality of gate lines and the plurality of data lines, and the TFT 120 and the pixel electrode 130 are formed so as to correspond to each of the plurality of pixels.

Here, the gate line and the data line may be formed of a single film made of silver (Ag), aluminum (Al), or an alloy thereof having a low resistivity, or may be formed of a single film Layer film that further includes a film made of chrome (Cr), titanium (Ti), or tantalum (Ta). A gate insulating film made of a nitride film (SiNx) or the like may be positioned between the gate line and the data line.

A gate electrode of the TFT 120 is connected to the gate line, a source electrode thereof is connected to the data line, and a drain electrode thereof is connected to the pixel electrode 130.

The pixel electrode 130 is formed to correspond to a plurality of pixel regions defined by the barrier ribs 140 and applies a voltage to the pixel region by switching the TFT 120.

The pixel electrode 130 is a conductive metal layer, which is electrically connected to the drain electrode of the TFT 120 through a contact hole and is formed of a material of copper, aluminum, indium tin oxide (ITO) . Further, nickel, gold, or the like may be further laminated on the material of copper, aluminum, and indium tin oxide (ITO).

On the lower base substrate 110, a partition wall 140 defining a pixel region is formed. A filling space is formed for each pixel by the barrier ribs 140, and the thus formed filling space is filled with the electrophoretic dispersion liquid, and the electrophoretic dispersion liquid 150 is internalized on the lower substrate 100.

The barrier ribs 140 are formed on the lower substrate to define a pixel region and define a filling space in which the electrophoretic dispersion liquid is filled. 3, the barrier ribs 140 are formed to have a predetermined height and width (for example, a height of 10 to 100 um and a width of 5 to 30 um), and the barrier ribs 140 are formed to surround the pixel electrodes 130 .

Here, the barrier ribs 140 may be formed of an organic or inorganic material such as a polymer so as to conform to physical properties of the electrophoretic dispersion through a photolithography process or a mold printing process .

Although not shown in the drawing, an interlayer may be formed in the filling space formed by the barrier ribs 140 to physically isolate the charged particles of the electrophoretic dispersion 150 from the barrier ribs 140.

The blocking pattern 160 is formed on the barrier ribs 140 and is formed to surround the filling spaces formed by the barrier ribs 140, as shown in FIG. This blocking pattern 160 prevents the electrophoretic dispersion 150 from overflowing and flooding the upper portion of the partition wall 140 or overflowing to neighboring pixels when the electrophoretic dispersion 150 is filled in the filling space. In addition, the sealing layer has a function of sealing the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200, and sealing the electrophoretic dispersion 150 filled in the lower substrate 100 smoothly.

The blocking pattern 160 may be formed by coating a solvent of the electrophoretic dispersion liquid 150 and a hydrophobic material on the barrier ribs 140 so that the electrophoretic dispersion liquid 150 does not overflow the neighboring pixels, and then curing the barrier ribs 140. In particular, the barrier pattern 160 may be formed of a solvent and a material having hydrophobicity. In addition, it may be formed of a sealant material for adhesion of the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 and sealing of the electrophoretic dispersion 150. That is, the blocking pattern 160 may be formed of a material of the electrophoretic dispersion liquid 150 and a hydrophobic property, as well as a characteristic of a real substance.

 Since the blocking pattern 160 has hydrophobicity with the electrophoretic dispersion 150, it is possible to prevent the electrophoretic dispersion 150 from overflowing to the upper portion of the partition wall 140. At this time, the material of the blocking pattern 160 is an organic or inorganic material having electrical insulation.

For example, a material including a fluorine-based material or a fluorine-based polymer may be coated on the barrier ribs 140 by plasma, contact printing, dipping, or gravure roll printing. The blocking pattern 160 may be formed by curing the coated fluorinated material or the fluorinated polymer-containing material.

The electrophoretic dispersion liquid 150 is composed of a plurality of charged particles and a solvent charged with a positive (+) or negative (-) polarity and is filled in a filling space (filling cell) defined by the partition wall 140.

The charged particles have at least one color of the colors of black, white, red, green, blue, yellow, cyan and magenta Can be selectively colored. In FIG. 2, a plurality of charged particles are colored with black and white colors, and the electrophoretic display device displays a monochrome image.

Solvents include binders and include halogenated solvents, saturated hydrocarbons, silicone oils, low molecular weight halogen-containing polymers, epoxides, Vinyl ethers, vinyl esters, aromatic hydrocarbons, toluene, naphthalene, liquid paraffinic liquids, or polychlorotrifluoroethylene polymers ) Materials may be used.

The electrophoretic dispersion 150 may be formed by a die coating method, a casting method, a bar coating method, a slit coating method, a spin coating method, or the like in a filling space defined by the barrier ribs 140, Can be filled by a dispensing method, a squeezing method, a screen printing method, an inkjet printing method, or a photolithography method.

When the electrophoretic dispersion 150 is filled in the filling space, the upper portion of the partition wall 140 may be contaminated or overflowed with neighboring pixels. 4, the blocking pattern 160 may be formed on the barrier ribs 140 by using the electrophoretic dispersion 150 and a material having hydrophobic properties so that the electrophoretic dispersion 150 is formed on the neighboring pixels So as to be accurately filled in the filling space.

As described above, the electrophoretic display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention can charge the electrophoretic dispersion liquid 150 to the pixel region defined by the barrier 140 and internalize the electrophoretic dispersion liquid 150 on the lower substrate 100.

The upper substrate 200 includes an upper base substrate 210, a common electrode 220, and a sealing layer 230.

The upper base substrate 210 is made of transparent glass or a transparent plastic material because it must be transparent to display an image.

The common electrode 220 corresponds to the pixel electrode 130 of the lower substrate 100 and supplies a common voltage Vcom to each pixel region. The common electrode 220 should be transparent because it is positioned on the surface where the image is displayed. Accordingly, the common electrode 220 is formed of a conductive transparent material such as indium tin oxide (ITO) or indium zinc oxide (IZO).

An electric field is formed in each pixel region by the voltage applied to the common electrode 220 and the pixel electrode 130, and the charged particles move in the solvent by the electric field to realize an image.

The sealing layer 230 is for sealing the charged particles of the electrophoretic dispersion 150 that is internalized in the lower substrate 100 and for attaching the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 together.

When the charged particles come into direct contact with the common electrode 220, the charging characteristics of the charged particles can be eliminated. The charged particles are discharged through the sealing layer 230 formed between the common electrode 220 and the lower substrate 100, It is possible to prevent direct contact with the electrode 220.

The sealing layer 230 is formed on the common electrode 220 so as to be transparent with an organic or inorganic material having electrically insulating properties and has a thickness of 0.1 um to 40 um.

When the sealing layer 230 is formed of an organic material, an organic material that can be coated with a polymer, an acrylic UV curable resin, an organic self-assembled monolayer (organic SAM layer), or a nonconductive transparent organic material . ≪ / RTI >

On the other hand, when the sealing layer 230 is formed of an inorganic material, silicon nitride (e.g., SiN _x ), amorphous silicon (a-Si), silicon oxide (e.g., SiO _x ) , Al ₂ O ₃ ) or a nonconductive transparent inorganic material can be used as the material.

The sealing layer 230 may be formed of an organic or inorganic material (SiNx, SiOx) that can be cured using ultraviolet (UV) and heat.

The sealing layer 230 may be formed by a vacuum deposition method, a die coating method, a casting method, a bar coating method, a slit coating method, a dispense method, A squeezing method, a screen printing method, or an inkjet printing method.

Meanwhile, the upper substrate 200 may include a protection layer, a common electrode, and a sealing layer. Here, the protective layer has non-polar characteristics and can be formed as a transparent film.

The electrophoretic display device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a lower substrate 100 and a lower substrate 100 using a sealing pattern 230 formed on the sealing layer 230 and the barrier ribs 140 of the lower substrate 100 200 are smoothly connected. In addition, the electrophoretic dispersion liquid that is internalized in the lower substrate 100 is sealed so that the penetration of air and moisture can be prevented.

Thus, the display quality and manufacturing efficiency of the electrophoretic display device can be enhanced. In addition, stability and drive reliability of the charged particles incorporated in the lower substrate 100 can be improved.

Although the sealing layer 230 is illustrated as being formed on the upper substrate 200 in the above description, it is one of various embodiments of the present invention. The sealing layer 230 may be directly formed on the blocking pattern 160 of the lower substrate 100 and then the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 may be bonded together .

As another example of the present invention, since the blocking pattern 160 formed on the lower substrate 100 has the function of a sealing layer, the application of the sealing layer 230 of the upper substrate 200 may be selectively performed. When the sealing layer 230 is not included in the upper substrate 200, the thickness of the electrophoretic display device can be reduced.

5 to 9 are views showing a method of manufacturing the electrophoretic display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, a method of manufacturing the electrophoretic display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 9. FIG.

Referring to FIG. 5, a TFT 120 is formed on a lower base substrate 110 so as to correspond to each of a plurality of pixel regions.

Here, the lower base substrate 110 may be made of a transparent glass substrate, a plastic substrate having flexibility, or a metal substrate.

Thereafter, an insulating layer is formed on the TFT 120, a conductive material such as copper, aluminum, or ITO is coated on the insulating layer, and then a photolithography process and an etching process are performed to form pixel electrodes (130).

Here, the pixel electrode 130 may be formed by further laminating nickel, gold, or the like on the above-described materials of copper, aluminum, and indium tin oxide (ITO).

Although not shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of gate lines and a plurality of data lines intersecting each other are formed on the lower base substrate 110, and TFTs 120 are formed in regions where the plurality of gate lines and data lines cross each other do.

The gate of the TFT 120 is connected to the gate line, the source is connected to the data line, and the drain is electrically connected to the pixel electrode 130 through the contact hole.

6, an organic or inorganic material is coated on the lower base plate 110 on which the pixel electrode 130 is formed, and then patterned to form the barrier 140 to surround the pixel electrode 130 .

At this time, the barrier ribs may be formed to have a height of 10 um to 100 um and a width of 5 um to 30 um, and a filling space filled with the electrophoretic dispersion liquid is formed through the barrier ribs 140.

The barrier ribs 140 may be formed not only by a photolithography method, but also by imprinting or a mold printing method.

Referring to FIG. 7, the electrophoretic dispersion 150 is formed on the barrier ribs 140 and the blocking pattern 160 is formed of a hydrophobic material so that the electrophoretic dispersion 150 does not overflow the neighboring pixels. At this time, the blocking pattern 160 has a hydrophobic property with the solvent of the electrophoretic dispersion liquid 150, and the sealing pattern 160 is used for adhesion of the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 and sealing of the electrophoretic dispersion liquid 150. [ ) Material.

Specifically, an organic or inorganic material having electrical insulation is coated on the barrier ribs 140, and then the barrier ribs 140 are cured to form a barrier pattern 160.

A film 170 coated with a substance 172 containing a fluorine-based substance or a fluorine-based polymer is aligned on an upper portion of the barrier ribs 140 and is then contact-printed on the barrier ribs 130, A substance 172 containing a fluorine-based substance or a fluorine-based polymer is coated.

Thereafter, the blocking material 160 is formed by curing the coated fluorine-based material or the fluorine-based polymer-containing material 172.

In addition, a material 172 including a fluorine-based material or a fluorine-based polymer is coated on the barrier ribs 140 by a plasma method, a dipping method, or a gravure roll printing method, The blocking pattern 160 may be formed by curing the fluorine-based material or the fluorine-based polymer-containing material 172.

4, the barrier pattern 160 is formed so as to surround the filling space formed by the barrier ribs 140 so that the electrophoretic dispersion 150 is filled in the filling space when the electrophoretic dispersion 150 is filled, Thereby preventing the top of the overflow barrier 140 from being contaminated or overflowing to neighboring pixels. Further, the adhesion of the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 and the sealing of the electrophoretic dispersion 150 are smoothly performed.

Next, referring to FIG. 8, the electrophoretic dispersion 150 is filled in the filling space defined by the partition 140.

As an example, the electrophoretic dispersion 150 can be filled in the filling space of each pixel by a dispensing method using the dispensing equipment 152. At this time, when the electrophoretic display device displays a morphological image, the major particles filled in all the pixels are colored in black and white colors, so that the electrophoretic dispersion liquid 150 can be simultaneously filled in all the pixels.

In addition, a die coating method, a casting method, a bar coating method, a slit coating method, a squeezing method, a screen printing method, an inkjet printing method, The electrophoretic dispersion 150 may be filled in the filling space of the pixel using an inkjet printing method or a photolithography method.

Here, a part of the plurality of charged particles is charged positively (+) and the remaining part is charged negatively (-). That is, when the white charged particles are positively charged, the black charged particles are negatively charged.

Solvents can be halogenated solvents, saturated hydrocarbons, silicone oils, low molecular weight halogen-containing polymers, epoxides, vinyl ethers, ethers, vinyl esters, aromatic hydrocarbons, toluene, naphthalene, liquid paraffinic liquids or polychlorotrifluoroethylene polymers can be used. have.

As described above, the electrophoretic dispersion 150 is filled in the pixel region defined by the barrier ribs 140, and the electrophoretic layer is internalized in the lower substrate 100.

At this time, the electrophoretic dispersion 150 is formed on the barrier ribs 140 and the blocking pattern 160 is formed of a material having hydrophobic property so that the electrophoretic dispersion 150 during the filling process of the electrophoretic dispersion 150 is separated from the neighboring pixels So that it is filled in the filling space accurately.

On the other hand, after the electrophoretic dispersion 150 is completely filled, a part of the solvent of the electrophoretic dispersion 150 may be removed using a spin-coating method to ensure the uniformity of the electrophoretic dispersion 150 . At this time, it is possible to remove a part of the solvent so that the amount of the electrophoretic dispersion 150 filled is 80% of the filling space of the pixel region.

Referring to FIG. 9, the upper substrate 200 is manufactured by performing a manufacturing process different from the manufacturing process of forming the lower substrate 100.

A transparent conductive material such as indium tin oxide (ITO) or indium zinc oxide (IZO) is formed on an upper base substrate 210 made of transparent glass or a flexible transparent plastic material. The common electrode 220 is formed.

Then, a sealing layer 230 is formed on the common electrode 220 with an organic or inorganic material having electrical insulation. At this time, the sealing layer 230 is formed on the surface on which the image is displayed, so that the sealing layer 230 is formed to be transparent.

The sealing layer 230 is for sealing the charged particles of the electrophoretic dispersion that is internalized in the lower substrate 100. In addition, the sealing layer 230 prevents the charged particles from directly contacting the common electrode 220. The sealing layer 230 is formed on the common electrode 220 so as to be transparent with an organic or inorganic material having electrically insulating properties and has a thickness of 0.1 um to 40 um.

The sealing layer 230 may be formed of an organic or inorganic material (SiNx, SiOx) that can be cured using ultraviolet (UV) and heat.

When the sealing layer 230 is formed of an organic material, an organic material that can be coated with a polymer, an acrylic UV curable resin, an organic self-assembled monolayer (organic SAM layer), or a nonconductive transparent organic material . ≪ / RTI >

On the other hand, when the sealing layer 230 is formed of an inorganic material, silicon nitride (e.g., SiN _x ), amorphous silicon (a-Si), silicon oxide (e.g., SiO _x ) , Al ₂ O ₃ ) or a nonconductive transparent inorganic material can be used as the material.

The sealing layer 230 may be formed by a vacuum deposition method, a die coating method, a casting method, a bar coating method, a slit coating method, a dispense method, A squeezing method, a screen printing method, or an inkjet printing method.

After the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 are aligned, the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 are bonded together by applying a certain pressure such as a roll-to-roll method. At this time, the bonding process of the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 may further include an annealing process for applying a predetermined pressure together with a pressing process for applying a predetermined pressure.

The adhesion between the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 is smoothly performed using the sealing layer 230 and the barrier pattern 160 formed on the barrier ribs 140 of the lower substrate 100 So that the electrophoretic dispersion liquid that is internalized in the lower substrate 100 is sealed.

Also, the electrophoretic dispersion 150, which is internalized in the lower substrate 100, is sealed through the sealing layer 230, thereby preventing the infiltration of air and moisture.

This makes it possible to enhance the display quality production efficiency of the electrophoretic display device. In addition, stability and drive reliability of the charged particles incorporated in the lower substrate 100 can be improved.

Although the sealing layer 230 is illustrated as being formed on the upper substrate 200 in the above description, it is one of various embodiments of the present invention. The sealing layer 230 may be directly formed on the blocking pattern 160 of the lower substrate 100 and then the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 may be bonded together .

When the electrophoretic display device displays a full-color image, the charged particles 150 colored in accordance with the hue displayed by the pixel must be internalized in the lower substrate 100. At this time, when the red charged particles filled in the red pixel flow over the neighboring blue pixel or the green pixel, the color purity of the image is reduced and the display quality is deteriorated. If the overcharged phenomenon of the charged particles is severe, a color image can not be realized.

In the second embodiment of the present invention, when the electrophoretic dispersion liquid is filled in each of the mono pixel, the red pixel, the green pixel and the blue pixel so that the full color can be displayed, An electrophoretic display device capable of preventing overflow to pixels, and a manufacturing method thereof.

FIG. 10 is a view showing an electrophoretic display device according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 11 is a view showing a method of manufacturing the electrophoretic display device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

The electrophoretic display device and the manufacturing method thereof according to the second embodiment of the present invention are the same as those of Figs. 2 to 9 except that the charged particles 150 are colored in a plurality of colors to implement a color image. Is the same as the first embodiment of the present invention described with reference to FIG. Therefore, detailed description of the same constitution and manufacturing method as those described above will be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 10, the electrophoretic display device according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes a lower substrate 100 and an upper substrate 200 having an electrophoretic dispersion liquid therein.

The lower substrate 100 includes a lower base substrate 110, a TFT 120, a pixel electrode 130, a barrier 140, an electrophoretic dispersion 150, and a blocking pattern 160.

The lower base substrate 110 may be a transparent glass substrate, a plastic substrate having flexibility, or a metal substrate. However, since the lower substrate is located on the opposite side of the screen on which the image is displayed, the lower base substrate 110 does not necessarily have to be transparent.

In the lower base substrate 110, a plurality of gate lines and a plurality of data lines are formed so as to cross each other, and a pixel region in which an image is displayed is defined.

In each pixel region, the TFT 120 and the pixel electrode 130 are formed. A gate electrode of the TFT 120 is connected to the gate line, a source electrode thereof is connected to the data line, and a drain electrode thereof is connected to the pixel electrode 130.

The pixel electrode 130 is formed to correspond to a plurality of pixel regions defined by the barrier 140 and applies a data voltage to the pixel region in accordance with switching of the TFT 120. [

On the lower base substrate 110, a partition wall 140 defining a pixel region is formed. A filling space is formed for each pixel by the barrier ribs 140, and the electrophoretic dispersion 150 is filled in the filling space thus formed. That is, the electrophoretic dispersion liquid 150 is filled in the filling space formed by the barrier ribs 140 and is internalized in the lower substrate 100.

The barrier ribs 140 are formed on the lower substrate to define a pixel region and define a filling space in which the electrophoretic dispersion liquid is filled. 3, the barrier ribs 140 are formed to have a predetermined height and width (for example, a height of 10 to 100 um and a width of 5 to 30 um), and the barrier ribs 140 are formed to surround the pixel electrodes 130 .

The blocking pattern 160 is formed on the upper portion of the barrier 140 and is formed to surround the filling space formed by the barrier 140. The blocking pattern 160 prevents the electrophoretic dispersion 150 from overflowing into the pixel or contaminating the upper portion of the barrier 140 when the electrophoretic dispersion 150 is filled in the filling space. In addition, the sealing layer has a function of sealing the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200, and sealing the electrophoretic dispersion 150 filled in the lower substrate 100 smoothly.

The blocking pattern 160 may be formed by coating a solvent of the electrophoretic dispersion liquid 150 and a hydrophobic material on the barrier ribs 140 so that the electrophoretic dispersion liquid 150 does not overflow the neighboring pixels, and then curing the barrier ribs 140. In addition, it may be formed of a sealant material for adhesion of the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 and sealing of the electrophoretic dispersion 150. That is, the blocking pattern 160 may be formed of a material having hydrophilic property and a material characteristic of a solvent of the electrophoretic dispersion liquid 150.

At this time, the material of the blocking pattern 160 is an organic or inorganic material having electrical insulation.

For example, a material including a fluorine-based material or a fluorine-based polymer may be coated on the barrier ribs 140 by plasma, contact printing, dipping, or gravure roll printing. The blocking pattern 160 may be formed by curing the coated fluorinated material or the fluorinated polymer-containing material.

The electrophoretic dispersion liquid 150 is composed of a plurality of charged particles and a solvent charged with a positive (+) or negative (-) polarity and is filled in a filling space (filling cell) defined by the partition wall 140.

The charged particles have at least one color of the colors of black, white, red, green, blue, yellow, cyan and magenta Can be selectively colored.

10 shows an example in which the charged particles 150 are colored in red, green, blue, white and black so that the electrophoretic display device can realize a full color image. That is, one unit pixel can be constituted by four color pixels (a mono pixel, a red pixel, a green pixel and a blue pixel), and a full color image can be displayed.

Solvents include binders and include halogenated solvents, saturated hydrocarbons, silicone oils, low molecular weight halogen-containing polymers, epoxides, Vinyl ethers, vinyl esters, aromatic hydrocarbons, toluene, naphthalene, liquid paraffinic liquids, or polychlorotrifluoroethylene polymers ) Materials may be used.

The electrophoretic dispersion 150 may be formed by a die coating method, a casting method, a bar coating method, a slit coating method, a spin coating method, or the like in a filling space defined by the barrier ribs 140, Can be filled by a dispensing method, a squeezing method, a screen printing method, an inkjet printing method, or a photolithography method.

When the electrophoretic dispersion 150 is filled in the filling space, the upper portion of the partition wall 140 may be contaminated or overflowed with neighboring pixels. In order to prevent this, the electrophoretic display device according to the second embodiment of the present invention is provided with a blocking pattern 160 on the barrier ribs 140 with a solvent of the electrophoretic dispersion liquid 150 and a hydrophobic property. At this time, the blocking pattern 160 has a hydrophobic property with the solvent of the electrophoretic dispersion liquid 150, and the sealing pattern 160 is used for adhesion of the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 and sealing of the electrophoretic dispersion liquid 150. [ ) Material.

The blocking pattern 160 is used to prevent the electrophoretic dispersion 150, which is filled in the filling region of each color pixel, from overflowing into neighboring pixels, and to fill the filling space precisely.

At this time, the electrophoretic dispersion containing a plurality of mono pixel areas, a plurality of red pixel areas, a plurality of green pixels, and a plurality of blue pixel areas with charged colors are filled.

Referring to FIG. 11, an electrophoretic dispersion liquid containing charged particles colored in black and white is filled in a filling region of a mono pixel.

Then, an electrophoretic dispersion liquid containing charged particles colored with red is filled in the filling region of the red pixel.

Then, an electrophoretic dispersion liquid containing charged particles colored green is filled in the filling region of the green pixel.

The electrophoretic dispersion liquid containing charged particles colored blue is filled in the filling region of the blue pixel.

As described above, the electrophoretic dispersion 150 can be filled for each color pixel. At this time, the electrophoretic dispersion 150 may be filled for each color pixel by using a micro needle injection device, and the electrophoretic dispersion 150 may be filled in a pixel of a desired color using a mask.

The upper substrate 200 includes an upper base substrate 210, a common electrode 220, and a sealing layer 230.

The upper base substrate 210 is made of transparent glass or a transparent plastic material because it must be transparent to display an image.

The common electrode 220 corresponds to the pixel electrode 130 of the lower substrate 100 and supplies a common voltage Vcom to each pixel region. The common electrode 220 should be transparent because it is positioned on the surface where the image is displayed. Accordingly, the common electrode 220 is formed of a conductive transparent material such as indium tin oxide (ITO) or indium zinc oxide (IZO).

An electric field is formed in each pixel region by the voltage applied to the common electrode 220 and the pixel electrode 130, and the charged particles move in the solvent by the electric field to realize an image.

The sealing layer 230 is for sealing the charged particles of the electrophoretic dispersion 150 that is internalized in the lower substrate 100 and for attaching the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 together.

When the charged particles come into direct contact with the common electrode 220, the charging characteristics of the charged particles can be eliminated. The charged particles are discharged through the sealing layer 230 formed between the common electrode 220 and the lower substrate 100, It is possible to prevent direct contact with the electrode 220.

The sealing layer 230 is formed on the common electrode 220 so as to be transparent with an organic or inorganic material having electrically insulating properties and has a thickness of 0.1 um to 40 um.

When the sealing layer 230 is formed of an organic material, an organic material that can be coated with a polymer, an acrylic UV curable resin, an organic self-assembled monolayer (organic SAM layer), or a nonconductive transparent organic material . ≪ / RTI >

On the other hand, when the sealing layer 230 is formed of an inorganic material, silicon nitride (e.g., SiN _x ), amorphous silicon (a-Si), silicon oxide (e.g., SiO _x ) , Al ₂ O ₃ ) or a nonconductive transparent inorganic material can be used as the material.

The sealing layer 230 may be formed of an organic or inorganic material (SiNx, SiOx) that can be cured using ultraviolet (UV) and heat.

The sealing layer 230 may be formed by a vacuum deposition method, a die coating method, a casting method, a bar coating method, a slit coating method, a dispense method, A squeezing method, a screen printing method, or an inkjet printing method.

The electrophoretic dispersion liquid 150 is internalized in the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 is aligned with the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200. Thereafter, a roll- The lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 are bonded together by applying a predetermined pressure. At this time, the bonding process of the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 may further include an annealing process for applying a predetermined pressure together with a pressing process for applying a predetermined pressure.

The adhesion between the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 is smoothly performed using the sealing layer 230 and the barrier pattern 160 formed on the barrier ribs 140 of the lower substrate 100 So that the electrophoretic dispersion liquid that is internalized in the lower substrate 100 is sealed.

The electrophoretic display device and the method of manufacturing the same according to the second embodiment of the present invention are similar to those of the electrophoretic display device according to the second embodiment of the present invention except that the barrier layer 140 of the lower substrate 100, 100 and the upper substrate 200 are smoothly attached to each other. In addition, the electrophoretic dispersion liquid that is internalized in the lower substrate 100 is sealed so that the penetration of air and moisture can be prevented.

This makes it possible to enhance the display quality production efficiency of the electrophoretic display device. In addition, stability and drive reliability of the charged particles incorporated in the lower substrate 100 can be improved.

The electrophoretic display device manufactured by the present invention is characterized in that the electrophoretic dispersion liquid filled in the pixel region by the electric field formed by the data voltage applied to the plurality of pixel electrodes 130 and the common voltage applied to the common electrode 220 The particles can move in the solvent to realize a mono image and a color image.

The manufacturing method of the electrophoretic display device according to the embodiment of the present invention can improve the manufacturing efficiency of the electrophoretic display device and improve the stability and drive reliability of the charged particles incorporated in the lower substrate.

The method of manufacturing an electrophoretic display device according to an embodiment of the present invention can prevent the overflow of the electrophoretic dispersion internalized in the lower substrate and enable the sealing to be smooth so that images of high quality in various colors can be realized.

The manufacturing method of the electrophoretic display device according to the embodiments of the present invention has an advantage of being able to apply the manufacturing infra used in the manufacturing process of the conventional liquid crystal display device.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof.

It is therefore to be understood that the above-described embodiments are illustrative in all aspects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the detailed description and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalents are to be construed as being included within the scope of the present invention do.

100: lower substrate 110: lower base substrate
120: TFT 130: pixel electrode
140: bulkhead 150: electrophoretic dispersion
160: blocking pattern 200: upper substrate
210: upper base substrate 220: common electrode
230: sealing layer

Claims (13)

A barrier rib formed to surround the pixel electrode formed on the lower substrate and defining a plurality of pixel regions and defining a filling space filled with the electrophoretic dispersion liquid;
An electrophoretic dispersion liquid filled in the plurality of pixel regions including a plurality of charged particles and a solvent colored to display a specific color;
A blocking pattern formed to surround the filling space formed by the barrier ribs to prevent overflow of the electrophoretic dispersion filled in the plurality of pixel regions; And
And an upper substrate on which a common electrode and a sealing layer for adhesion with the lower substrate are formed,
Wherein the blocking pattern has hydrophobicity with the solvent of the electrophoretic dispersion,
The blocking pattern is formed of a real material,
Wherein the barrier pattern is disposed on an upper surface of the barrier rib except for the filling space. delete The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the barrier pattern is formed by coating a material including a fluorine-based material or a fluorine-based polymer on the barrier ribs. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the cutoff pattern causes the upper substrate and the lower substrate to adhere to each other. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein at least one of colors of red, blue, green, yellow, cyan, magenta, black, and white is selectively colored in the charged particles. Forming a plurality of pixel regions which are formed so as to surround the pixel electrodes formed in the pixel region of the lower substrate and form a partition defining a filling space filled with the electrophoretic dispersion liquid;
Forming a blocking pattern with a predetermined material so as to surround the filling space formed by the partition wall;
Filling the pixel region with an electrophoretic dispersion containing a plurality of charged particles and a solvent colored to display a specific color;
Providing an upper substrate on which a common electrode and a sealing layer for adhesion with the lower substrate are formed; And
And bonding the lower substrate and the upper substrate,
Wherein the blocking pattern has hydrophobicity with the solvent of the electrophoretic dispersion,
The blocking pattern is formed of a real material,
Wherein the barrier pattern is formed on an upper surface of the barrier rib except for the filling space. delete The method according to claim 6,
Wherein a material including a fluorine-based material or a fluorine-based polymer is coated on the barrier ribs to form the barrier pattern. The method according to claim 6,
A material including a fluorine-based material or a fluorine-based polymer is coated on the barrier ribs by plasma, contact, dipping or gravure roll printing to form the barrier pattern Wherein the electrophoretic display device comprises: The method according to claim 6,
Wherein the charged particles are selectively colored at least one of colors of red, blue, green, yellow, cyan, magenta, black, and white. The method according to claim 6,
Wherein the electrophoretic dispersion liquid is filled in the pixel region and then part of the solvent is removed by a spin-coating method. delete The method according to claim 6,
Wherein the lower substrate and the upper substrate are bonded together using the blocking pattern.

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