KR101902199B1 - Electronic Paper Display Device and Method of Manufacturing the Same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a plasma display panel comprising: a lower electrode disposed on an upper surface of a lower substrate; A barrier rib structure having first and second barrier ribs disposed on an upper surface of the lower electrode and having a cell region defined by the first barrier ribs and the second barrier ribs; An upper substrate including an upper electrode facing the lower electrode disposed on the barrier structure; And a second barrier rib that does not include an opening, the first barrier rib including an opening and the second barrier rib intersecting the openings in the entire cell region such that the openings do not have a straight line structure And a method of manufacturing the same.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to an electronic paper display device,

(Reflectance, contrast ratio, response speed, driving voltage) of the electronic ink even when the display device is used in a plane, a right angle, or an arbitrary angle or direction, and more particularly, The present invention relates to an electronic paper display device and a method of manufacturing the electronic paper display device, which improve the reliability and stability of a color electronic paper display device.

Electronic paper is used in electronic books or display devices. In particular, electronic paper using electrophoresis has been commercialized. The electrophoretic electronic paper can be driven by a display by encapsulating a suspension containing particles dispersed in a fluid.

In addition, the electrophoretic electronic paper can be driven by injecting ink directly into the cell. Since the electrophoretic electronic paper is a reflection type, it has excellent readability and bistability, so that power consumption is significantly lower than that of conventional LCD or OLED. Therefore, the electrophoretic electronic paper is already commercialized and used as an electronic book, and is approaching the market of price display boards and billboards.

Electrophoretic electronic paper, which has succeeded in commercialization, is mainly used in black and white, so it is necessary to develop electronic paper capable of color representation because of limited application. Recently, a color electronic paper was implemented using a color filter or by injecting color particles directly into the cell. However, when a color filler is mounted on an electronic paper, it is difficult to obtain a reflectance and a color reproduction ratio higher than a certain level. In addition, when color particles are injected into a cell of an electronic paper, it is difficult to inject desired color particles into a cell at a desired position, or to pattern a capsule containing color particles.

In the general cell or microcup type electrophoresis electronic paper, there is a disadvantage in that the electronic ink can not be completely filled in the cell or the microcup in the manufacturing process in which the cell or the microcup is filled with the electronic ink and then the upper electrode is covered. (Refer to Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2)

The applicant has proposed a display structure in which a barrier structure having cell regions and an ink injection tube are formed at one end of the barrier structure and then a lower substrate and an upper substrate including the barrier rib structure are joined to form a display structure, (Reflection, contrast ratio, response speed, driving voltage) of the electronic ink is maximized through the manufacturing process of injecting the electronic ink and filling the electronic ink in the cell areas, thereby improving the reliability of the display device. (See Patent Document 3)

However, in Patent Document 3, when a display structure formed by bonding a lower substrate and an upper substrate including a barrier structure to a display structure perpendicularly to a plane is used, a sagging phenomenon occurs due to the gravity of the electronic ink in the cell region, There is a problem that the formed opening is formed in a straight line structure, and the electronic ink moves between the cells.

JP 2008-51881 A1 (2008.03.06) US 2014/0104674 A1 (April 17, 2014) KR 2014-0047503 A (April 04, 2014)

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a color electronic paper display device with improved reliability and a method of manufacturing the same.

The problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned problems, and other problems not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

An electronic paper display apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a lower electrode disposed on an upper surface of a lower substrate; A barrier rib structure having first and second barrier ribs disposed on an upper surface of the lower electrode and having a cell region defined by the first barrier ribs and the second barrier ribs; An upper substrate including an upper electrode facing the lower electrode disposed on the barrier structure; A semi-barrier formed in the cell region; And electronic ink filled in the cell region, wherein the first bank walls are arranged in a first direction with openings, and the second bank walls are arranged across the first bank walls in a second direction adjacent to the openings .

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic paper display device including: a lower electrode disposed on an upper surface of a lower substrate; A barrier rib structure having first and second barrier ribs disposed on an upper surface of the lower electrode and having a cell region defined by the first barrier ribs and the second barrier ribs; An upper substrate including an upper electrode facing the lower electrode disposed on the barrier structure; A semi-barrier formed in the cell region; And a second barrier rib that does not include an opening, the first barrier rib including an opening and the second barrier rib intersecting the openings in the entire cell region such that the openings do not have a straight line structure .

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic paper display device including: a lower electrode disposed on an upper surface of a lower substrate; A barrier rib structure having first and second barrier ribs disposed on an upper surface of the lower electrode and having a cell region defined by the first barrier ribs and the second barrier ribs; An upper substrate including an upper electrode facing the lower electrode disposed on the barrier structure; And a second barrier rib that does not include an opening, the first barrier rib including an opening and the second barrier rib intersecting the openings in the entire cell region such that the openings do not have a straight line structure .

The barrier rib structure may be a hexagonal honeycomb structure or a strip structure or a square net structure.

And an insulating material filling the opening at one end and the other end of the barrier structure.

A method of manufacturing an electronic paper display device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: forming a lower electrode on a lower substrate; A first barrier rib in a first direction including an opening on the lower electrode, and a second barrier rib across the first barrier rib on both sides of the adjacent opening, wherein the first barrier rib is defined by the first and second barrier ribs, Forming a barrier structure having cell regions to be exposed; Forming a semi-barrier in the cell region; Forming an ink injection tube at one end of the partition structure; Covering the upper electrode on the barrier structure; And filling the electronic ink into the barrier rib structure by injecting electronic ink into the ink injection tube.

A method of manufacturing an electronic paper display device according to another embodiment of the present invention includes: forming a lower electrode on a lower substrate; A first barrier rib in a first direction including an opening on the lower electrode, and a second barrier rib that does not include openings on both sides of the adjacent opening, wherein the first barrier rib is defined by the first and second barrier ribs Forming a barrier structure having cell regions; Forming a semi-barrier in the cell region; Forming an ink injection tube at one end of the partition structure; Covering the upper electrode on the barrier structure and the semi-barrier; And filling the electronic ink with the electronic ink by injecting the electronic ink into the ink injection tube, wherein the barrier rib structure includes a first barrier rib including an opening and a second barrier rib not including an opening, So that openings in the region do not have a straight structure.

A method of manufacturing an electronic paper display device according to another embodiment of the present invention includes: forming a lower electrode on a lower substrate; A first barrier rib in a first direction including an opening on the lower electrode, and a second barrier rib that does not include openings on both sides of the adjacent opening, wherein the first barrier rib is defined by the first and second barrier ribs Forming a barrier structure having cell regions; Forming an ink injection tube at one end of the partition structure; Covering the upper electrode on the barrier structure; And filling the electronic ink with the electronic ink by injecting the electronic ink into the ink injection tube, wherein the barrier rib structure includes a first barrier rib including an opening and a second barrier rib not including an opening, So that openings in the region do not have a straight structure.

The ink injection tube may be formed to extend from the first partition.

Covering the upper electrode on the barrier structure and the semi-barrier may include forming an adhesive on the upper electrode; And bonding the barrier structure and the semi-barrier to the adhesive.

According to another aspect of the present invention, in the method of manufacturing an electronic paper display device, covering the upper electrode on the barrier structure includes: forming the upper electrode on the upper substrate; Forming an adhesive on the upper electrode; And bonding the barrier structure to the adhesive.

Removing the ink injection tube from the barrier rib structure by filling the electronic ink into the barrier rib structure; And blocking an insulating material at the cut portion of the ink injection tube to prevent the electronic ink from escaping from the partition structure.

The ink injection tubes may be formed symmetrically with respect to each other.

The barrier structure may be formed of a hexagonal honeycomb structure or a net structure of a strip or a square.

Wherein the cell regions include a first cell region, a second cell region, and a third cell region alternately arranged in the first direction, and the first cell region, the second cell region, and the third cell region May be defined as a first cell region group, a second cell region group, and a third cell region group arranged in the second direction.

And forming an ink discharge tube extending from the first partition at the other end of the partition structure when the ink injection tube is formed.

Wherein the ink injection tube comprises a first tube and a second tube, the ink discharge tube comprising a third tube and a fourth tube, the first tube and the third tube being filled in the cell area groups The second tube and the fourth tube are formed at one end of each of the cell region groups and the tartan, and the first tube is formed to have the same color as that of the electronic ink, And the third tube may be connected to the fourth tube of the cell region groups from which the same color of electronic ink is discharged.

Before injecting the electronic ink, it may further comprise preparing a pump and an ink exhaust tube connected to the pump, and connecting the ink exhaust tube to the ink discharge tube.

Filling the electronic ink into the barrier structure may include injecting electronic ink of a different color into each of the first cell region group, the second cell region group, and the third cell region group through the ink injection tubes .

Further comprising forming a thin film transistor in each of the cell regions on the lower substrate prior to forming the barrier structure, wherein a drain electrode of the thin film transistor may extend to the lower electrode extending to the lower substrate .

The barrier rib structure, the semi-barrier ribs, and the ink injection tube may be formed of a photoresist material.

In the method of manufacturing an electronic paper display device according to another embodiment of the present invention, the bank structure and the ink injection tube may be formed of a photoresist material.

Wherein the electronic ink is electrically convertible, wherein the dielectric fluid includes a dye, a dielectric fluid including pigment particles, a dielectric fluid including a dye and a pigment, a dielectric fluid including two or more colored particles, Fluid, or photonic crystal colloid.

The ink injection tube may be formed in one side of the barrier rib structure in the first direction.

Forming the ink injection tube comprises: forming a photoresist film on one side of the bank structure; Patterning the photoresist film to form an extending ink injection pattern with the first cell region group; And forming an ink injection cover on the ink injection pattern.

The plurality of ink injection tubes may be vertically arranged from the lower substrate.

According to the method of manufacturing an electronic paper display device of the present invention, when a display structure formed by bonding a lower substrate and an upper substrate including a barrier structure to a plane at a right angle to a plane is used, A method of forming a semi-barrier rib in each cell region so as to prevent the movement of the electronic ink between the cell regions due to the opening in the cell region formed by the cell region, the method of randomly forming the opening formed in the cell region so as not to have a straight structure Or the above-described two methods are used at the same time, there is no occurrence of the migration of the electronic ink and the movement of the electronic ink between the cell regions. As a result, even if the display device is used in a plane, (Reflectance, contrast ratio, response speed, driving voltage) The reliability and stability of the electronic paper display device can be improved.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an electronic paper display device in which openings formed in a cell region are formed in a straight line structure as a prior art.
2 is a cross-sectional view of an electronic paper display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a cross-sectional view of an electronic paper display device according to another embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of manufacturing an electronic paper display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5A to 5E are cross-sectional views illustrating a method of manufacturing an electronic paper display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a plan view showing a barrier structure and tubes in a method of manufacturing an electronic paper display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a plan view of a barrier structure and tubes in a method of manufacturing an electronic paper display device according to another embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a plan view illustrating a method of injecting and discharging tricolor electronic inks into cell regions of a barrier structure using tubes in a method of manufacturing an electronic paper display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a shape of a partition wall structure in which tubes are cut in a method of manufacturing an electronic paper display device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
10 is a plan view showing possible semi-barrier rib structures formed in a cell region in a method of manufacturing an electronic paper display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
11A through 11C are perspective views illustrating a method of forming ink injection tubes in a barrier structure in a method of manufacturing an electronic paper display device according to another embodiment of the present invention.
12 is a plan view of a barrier structure in a method of manufacturing an electronic paper display device according to another embodiment of the present invention.
13 is a plan view of a barrier structure in a method of manufacturing an electronic paper display device according to another embodiment of the present invention.
14 (a), 14 (b) and 14 (c) are optical microscope photographs showing a result of voltage application to an RGB color electronic paper display device in which openings formed in a cell are formed in a straight line structure .
15 (a), (b), and (c) are optical microscope photographs showing results of application to a display device of a RGB color electronic paper display device manufactured according to an embodiment of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The advantages and features of the present invention, and how to accomplish them, will become apparent by reference to the embodiments described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the invention to those skilled in the art. Is provided to fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art, and the invention is only defined by the scope of the claims. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the specification.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of illustrating embodiments and is not intended to be limiting of the present invention. In the present specification, the singular form includes plural forms unless otherwise specified in the specification. As used herein, the terms 'comprises' and / or 'comprising' mean that the stated element, step, operation and / or element does not imply the presence of one or more other elements, steps, operations and / Or additions.

In addition, the embodiments described herein will be described with reference to cross-sectional views and / or plan views, which are ideal illustrations of the present invention. In the drawings, the thicknesses of the films and regions are exaggerated for an effective description of the technical content.

Thus, the shape of the illustrations may be modified by manufacturing techniques and / or tolerances. Accordingly, the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the specific forms shown, but also include changes in the shapes that are generated according to the manufacturing process. For example, the etched area shown at right angles may be rounded or may have a shape with a certain curvature. Thus, the regions illustrated in the figures have schematic attributes, and the shapes of the regions illustrated in the figures are intended to illustrate specific types of regions of the elements and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an electronic paper display device in which openings formed in a cell region are formed in a straight line structure as a prior art.

1, the barrier structure 14 of the electronic paper display device includes a first barrier rib 14a formed in a first direction and a second barrier rib 14b formed to cross the first barrier rib 14a in a second direction. And the first partition 14a has a structure including an opening 14c. Cell regions 16 constituting subpixels are formed between the first and second barrier ribs 14a and 14b of the barrier structure 14 and the cell regions 16 are formed in the first cell regions 16a, second cell regions 16b, and third cell regions 16c.

The electronic paper display device may include a barrier structure having cell regions and an ink injection tube formed at one end of the barrier structure, forming a display structure formed by joining a lower substrate and an upper substrate including the barrier structure, And injecting the electronic ink into the injection tube to fill the electronic ink in the cell areas.

However, when the display structure formed by bonding the lower substrate and the upper substrate including the barrier rib structure to the display panel at right angles to the plane is used, a sagging phenomenon occurs due to the gravity of the electronic ink in the cell region, There is a problem in that the movement of the electronic ink between the cells occurs.

2 is a cross-sectional view of an electronic paper display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2, an electronic paper display device 100 includes a lower electrode 12 formed on an upper surface of a lower substrate 10, a barrier structure 14 defining a cell region 16 on the lower electrode 12, An upper substrate 20 including an upper electrode 22 facing the lower electrode 12, and an electronic ink 26 filling the cell region. The lower substrate 10, the lower electrode 12, the barrier structure 14, the upper electrode 22, and the upper substrate 20 may be a display structure 30.

The lower substrate 10 and the upper substrate 20 may be made of a flexible material. The lower and upper substrates 10 and 20 may be, for example, a semiconductor substrate, a glass substrate, a quartz substrate, a metal substrate, or a plastic substrate. When the lower and upper substrates 10 and 20 are metal substrates, an insulating film may be further formed on the metal substrate.

The lower electrode 12 and the upper electrode 22 may be formed of a conductive polymer such as polythiophene or polyaniline, metal particles such as silver or nickel, a polymer film containing the metal particles, indium tin oxide (ITO: Indium Tin Oxide (IZO) or Indium Zinc Oxide (IZO).

2 and 9, the barrier structure 14 includes a first barrier rib 14a arranged in a first direction and having an opening 14c, and a first barrier rib 14b arranged in a second direction, And a second partition 14b formed on both sides of the adjacent opening 14c. The barrier rib structure 14 may have a honeycomb structure having hexagonal shapes. However, the shape of the barrier ribs 14 is not limited to the hexagonal shape. For example, the barrier ribs 14 may be formed in various shapes such as a strip shape or a network structure having rectangular shapes.

The cell region 16 defined by the barrier structure 14 may include a first cell region 16a, a second cell region 16b, and a third cell region 16c. The cell regions 16a, 16b, and 16c may be alternately formed in the first direction. Accordingly, the first cell region, the second cell region 16b, and the third cell region 16c may be partitioned by the second bank 14b. The first cell region 16a, the second cell region 16b, and the third cell region 16c may be arranged in the second direction. Accordingly, the same cell regions 16a, 16b, and 16c can be partitioned by the first bank 14a. Each of the first cell region 16a, the second cell region 16b and the third cell region 16c arranged in the second direction includes a first cell region group 16d, a second cell region group 16e ), And a third cell region group 16f. The first cell areas 16a included in the first cell area group 16d, the second cell areas 16b included in the second cell area group 16e, and the second cell areas 16b included in the first direction The third cell regions 16c included in the third cell region group 16f may be connected to each other by the opening 14c.

The cell area 16 may be filled with the electronic ink 26. [ For example, in the case of an electronic paper display device 100 driven by three colors, red electronic ink 26a is applied to the first cell area group 16d, green electronic ink 26b is applied to the second cell area group 16e, ), And the third cell region group 16f may be filled with the blue electronic ink 26c. Alternatively, in the case of a display device driven by one color, the first, second, and third cell region groups 16d, 16e, and 16f may be filled with electronic ink of the same color.

The electronic ink (26) is an electrochromic material capable of electrochromic conversion. The electrochromic ink (26) is a dielectric fluid including a dye, a dielectric fluid including pigment particles, a dielectric fluid including a dye and a pigment, a dielectric fluid including two or more colored particles, A fluid capable of being converted, or a photonic crystal colloid.

A semi-barrier rib 14d may be formed in the cell regions. Even when the display structure 30 is used upright at a right angle with respect to the plane, the semi-barrier rib 14d prevents the electron ink 26 from leaking to the cell bottom due to gravity within the cell area, And also prevents the movement of the electronic ink 26 between the cell regions due to the openings 14c in the cell regions.

9, various types of semi-barrier ribs 14d may be formed in the cell region, and the electronic ink 26 is not limited to the semi-barrier ribs 14d illustrated in FIG. 10, Any type of structure that can be fixed is possible.

The wall surface of the semi-barrier rib 14d and the barrier structure 14 in contact with the electronic ink 26 to prevent the electronic ink 26 from partially sticking to the barrier rib structure 14 and the semi-barrier rib 14d, The surface modification of the electronic ink 26 can be additionally performed by using atomic layer deposition (ALD) as a material (e.g., SiO 2).

An insulating material 29 may be disposed on one side of the barrier structure 14 and on the other side of the opening 14c. The insulating material 29 may comprise an encapsulant or a sealing film.

3 is a cross-sectional view of an electronic paper display device according to another embodiment of the present invention. For the sake of brevity, in another embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the same reference numerals are used for components substantially the same as those in FIG. 2, and a description of the components will be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 3, a thin film transistor 40 may be disposed on each of the cell regions 16 on the lower electrode 10. The thin film transistor 40 may include a gate electrode 41 covered with an insulating film 43, a source electrode 45 formed on both sides of the gate electrode 41 and a drain electrode 47, have. The drain electrode 47 may extend on the lower substrate 10. Accordingly, the drain electrode 47 can be used as the lower electrode 12 of the electronic paper display device 200. A capping layer 49 may be further disposed to cover a portion of the upper surface of the source electrode 45 and the drain electrode 47.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of manufacturing an electronic paper display device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 5A to 5E are cross-sectional views illustrating a method of manufacturing an electronic paper display device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a plan view showing cell areas and tubes in a method of manufacturing a monochrome electronic paper display device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 7 is a plan view showing cell areas and tubes in a method of manufacturing a multi-color electronic paper display device according to another embodiment of the present invention. 8 is a plan view showing a method of injecting and discharging tricolor electronic inks into cell regions using tubes in a method of manufacturing an electronic paper display device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 9 is a plan view showing a cut-away view of tubes in a method of manufacturing an electronic paper display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 and 5A, a lower electrode 12 is formed on a lower substrate 10. (S10) The lower substrate 10 may be made of a flexible material. The lower substrate 10 may be, for example, a semiconductor substrate, a glass substrate, a quartz substrate, a metal substrate, or a plastic substrate. When the lower substrate 10 is a metal substrate, an insulating film may be further formed on the metal substrate.

The lower electrode 12 may be formed of, for example, a conductive polymer such as polythiophene or polyaniline, metal particles such as silver or nickel, a polymer film containing the metal particles, indium tin oxide (ITO) Or an indium zinc oxide (IZO) material. The lower electrode 12 may be formed by a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method or a physical vapor deposition (CVD) method. As shown in FIG. 4, a thin film transistor 40 may be formed on the lower substrate 10. The source electrode 47 of the thin film transistor 40 may extend over the lower substrate 10.

4 and 5B, a barrier structure 14 and a semi-barrier rib 14d are formed on the lower electrode 12. (S20) The barrier rib structure 14 and the semi- Method. ≪ / RTI > First, a photoresist film may be formed on the lower electrode 12, and a lithography process may be performed on the photoresist film. At this time, the height and thickness of the barrier rib structure 14 and the semi-barrier rib 14d can be controlled through the design of the photomask. Secondly, a separate barrier structure (not shown) may be formed on the lower electrode 12 by bonding. The barrier rib structure may be manufactured by a molding method or a printing method. An adhesion promoter may be used to increase the adhesion of the barrier structure adhered on the lower electrode 12.

6 to 7, the barrier rib structure 14 includes a first barrier rib 14a formed in a first direction and a second barrier rib 14b formed to cross the first barrier rib 14a in a second direction . The first partition 14a may include an opening 14c. The barrier rib structure 14 may have a honeycomb structure having hexagonal shapes. However, the shape of the barrier rib structure 14 is not limited to the honeycomb structure. For example, the barrier rib structure 14 may be formed of a strip structure or a network structure having rectangular shapes.

A space formed between the first and second barrier ribs 14a and 14b of the barrier structure 14 may be a cell region 16 constituting a subpixel. The cell regions 16 may include first cell regions 16a, second cell regions 16b, and third cell regions 16c. The first to third cell regions 16a, 16b, and 16c may be alternately arranged in the first direction. The first to third cell regions 16a, 16b, and 16c may be partitioned by the second barrier ribs 14b formed in the second direction. Each of the first to third cell regions 16a, 16b, and 16c may be arranged in the second direction. The same cell regions 16a, 16b, and 16c may be partitioned by the first partition 14a. Accordingly, the cell regions 16a, 16b, 16c arranged in the second direction can be connected by the opening 14c of the first bank 14a. The first cell regions 16a, the second cell regions 16b, and the third cell regions 16c arranged in the second direction are connected to the first cell region group 16d, the second cell region 16b, A cell region group 16e and a third cell region group 16f.

The tubes 18 and 19 may be formed at the same time when the barrier rib structure 14 is formed. The tubes 18, 19 may be used to inject electronic ink into the cell area groups 16d, 16e, 16f. The tubes 18, 19 may include an ink inlet tube 18 and an ink outlet tube 19. The ink injection tube 18 may include a first tube 18a and a second tube 18b. The ink discharge tube 19 may include a third tube 19a and a fourth tube 19b. The ink injection tube 18 and the ink discharge tube 19 may extend to the first barrier ribs 14a located at both ends of the cell region groups 16d, 16e, and 16f. Accordingly, the ink injection tube 18 and the ink discharge tube 19 can be connected to the cell area groups 16d, 16e, and 16f. The tubes 18 and 19 may be formed of the same material as the barrier rib structure 14. [

Various types of semi-barrier ribs 14d may be formed in the cell regions. Even when the display structure 30 is used upright at a right angle with respect to the plane, the semi-barrier rib 14d prevents the electron ink 26 from leaking to the cell bottom due to gravity within the cell area, And also prevents the movement of the electronic ink 26 between the cell regions due to the openings 14c in the cell regions.

The present invention is not limited to the semi-barrier ribs 14d structures shown in Fig. 10, and a structure capable of fixing the electronic ink 26 within the cell region is possible.

The wall surface of the semi-barrier rib 14d and the barrier structure 14 in contact with the electronic ink 26 to prevent the electronic ink 26 from partially sticking to the barrier rib structure 14 and the semi-barrier rib 14d, The surface modification of the electronic ink 26 can be additionally performed by using atomic layer deposition (ALD) as a material (e.g., SiO 2).

6 and 7, the first tubes 18a and the third tubes 19a may be formed of a number of the electronic ink colors injected into the cell region groups 16d, 16e, and 16f As shown in FIG. The second tubes 18b may extend to the first tube 18a and may be formed at one end of the cell region groups 16d, 16e, and 16f. The fourth tube 19b may extend to the third tube 19a and may be formed at the other end of the cell region groups 16d, 16e, and 16f.

6, when the color of the electronic ink provided to the cell region groups 16d, 16e, and 16f is one, each of the first tube 18a and the third tube 19a is formed one by one And each of the second tube 18b and the fourth tube 19b is extended with the first tube 18a and the third tube 19a and the cell area groups 16d, 16e, 16f As shown in FIG.

Referring to FIG. 7, when the red, green, and blue colors are filled in the cell region groups 16d, 16e, and 16f, the ink injection tubes 18 and the ink discharge tubes 19, Three can be formed. Red ink, green ink, and blue ink may be injected into each of the first tubes 18a. In addition, red ink, green ink, and blue ink may be discharged to each of the third tubes 19a. The second tubes 18b and the fourth tubes 19b may be disposed in each of the one cell area groups 16d, 16e, and 16f. For example, each of the first to third cell region groups 16d, 16e, 16f may be filled with red ink, green ink, and blue ink. Each of the first tubes 18a is provided with the second tubes 18b of the first to third cell region groups 16d, 16e, 16f filling the colors to be injected into the first tubes 18a Lt; / RTI > For example, the second tubes 18b of the first cell region groups 16d filled in red may be connected to the first tubes 18a into which the red ink is injected. Similarly, one of the fourth tubes 19b may be connected to the third tubes 19a through which the red ink is discharged.

4 and 5C, an upper electrode 22 is formed on the upper substrate 20. (S30) The upper substrate 20 has flexibility and may be made of a light transmitting material. The upper substrate 20 may be, for example, a semiconductor substrate, a glass substrate, a quartz substrate, a metal substrate, or a plastic substrate. The upper electrode 22 may be formed of, for example, a conductive polymer such as polythiophene or polyaniline, metal particles such as silver or nickel, a polymer film containing the metal particles, indium tin oxide (ITO) Oxide (IZO: Indium Zinc Oxide).

4 and 5D, an adhesive 24 is formed on the upper electrode 22. (S40) The adhesive 24 may be patterned on the upper electrode 22. The adhesive 24 may be a material that does not chemically react with the electronic ink provided in the subsequent process.

4 and 5E, the barrier structure 14 and the semi-barrier rib 14d are attached to the adhesive 24 to form the display structure 30. (S50) The barrier structure 14 and the semi- The barrier ribs 14d may be bonded to the adhesive 24, and then the adhesive 24 may be cured to complete the display structure 30. [

2, 4, and 8, electronic ink 26 is injected into the cell regions 16. (S60) The electronic ink 26 is electrically capable of color conversion, A dielectric fluid including pigment particles, a dielectric fluid including dyes and pigments, a dielectric fluid comprising two or more colored particles, a color-convertible fluid, or a photonic crystal colloid. The electronic ink 26 is supplied to the first tube 18a of the ink injection tube 18 and is distributed to the second tube 18b, Three-cell region groups 14d, 14e, 14f.

The red electronic ink 26a, the green electronic ink 26b, and the blue electronic ink 26c can be injected into each of the three ink injection tubes 18, respectively. Each of the three electronic inks 26a, 26b and 26c is connected to each of the first cell area groups 16d, the second cell area groups 16e, and the third cell area groups 16f Can be filled. After filling the first to third cell region groups 16d, 16e and 16f with the electronic inks, the remaining electronic inks 26a, 26b and 26c can be discharged through the ink discharge tube 19 have. The third tube 19a may be connected to the pump 28 by an ink exhaust tube 27. The pump 28 may facilitate the injection and discharge of the injected electronic inks 26a, 26b, 26c. A flow rate controller for adjusting the pumping amount of the pump 28 may be further disposed between the ink discharge tube 27 and the third tube 19a. The pump 28 may be a peristartic pump or a vacuum pump.

2, 4 and 9, the tubes 18 and 19 are removed to form an electronic paper display device 100. (S70) In the cell areas 16, 26a, 26b, 26c is completed, the ink injection tube 18 and the ink discharge tube 19 can be cut. Preferably, the second tubes 18b and the fourth tubes 19b may be cut. The separation of the electronic inks 26a, 26b, 26c from the first to third cell areas 16a, 16b, 16c after the second and fourth tubes 18b, The cuts of the second tube 18b and the fourth tube 29b may be covered with an insulating material 29. [ The insulating material 19 may comprise an encapsulant or a sealing film.

The electronic ink 26 is injected into the cell areas 16 after the display structure 30 is formed. The electronic ink 26 can be completely filled into the cell areas 16 through the ink injection tubes 18 connected to the cell areas 16. [ Accordingly, the electronic ink 26 may be filled in contact with the lower electrode 12 and the upper electrode 22. Therefore, the characteristics (the reflectivity, the contrast ratio, the response speed, the driving voltage) of the electronic ink 26 are maximized and the reliability of the electronic paper display device 100 can be improved. In addition, when the color electronic inks 26a, 26b, 26c are injected into the cell regions 16, the ink injection tube 18 is used to transfer the colors of different colors Electronic inks 26a, 26b, and 26c can be injected. Therefore, the manufacturing process for color implementation of the electronic paper display device 100 can be simplified.

11A through 11C are perspective views illustrating a method of forming ink injection tubes in a barrier structure in a method of manufacturing an electronic paper display device according to another embodiment of the present invention. For the sake of brevity, in the other embodiments shown in Figs. 11A to 11C, the same reference numerals are used for components substantially the same as those in the embodiment, and a description of the components will be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 11A, a first film 50 is formed on one side of the barrier structure 14, and a lithography process is performed on the first film 50 to form a first ink injection pattern 51a. The first ink injection pattern 51a may extend to the first cell region group 16d arranged in the second direction. Accordingly, one side of the barrier rib structure 14 adjacent to the second cell region group 16e and the third cell region group 16f arranged in the second direction is formed in the first ink injection pattern 51a, Lt; / RTI > A first ink injection cover 51b may be formed on the first ink injection pattern 51a. The first ink injection pattern 51a and the second ink injection cap 51b may be defined as a first ink injection tube 51.

Referring to FIG. 11B, a second film 52 is formed on one side of the barrier rib structure 14 where the first ink injection tube 51 is not formed, and a lithography process is performed on the second film 52 Thereby forming a second ink injection pattern 53a. The second ink injection pattern 53a may extend to the second cell region group 16e arranged in the second direction. Accordingly, one side of the barrier rib structure 14 adjacent to the third cell region group 16f arranged in the second direction can be exposed to the first and second ink injection patterns 51a and 53a have. A second ink injection cover 53b may be formed on the second ink injection pattern 53a. The second ink injection pattern 53a and the second ink injection cap 53b may be defined as a second ink injection tube 53.

11C, a third film 54 is formed on one side of the barrier rib structure 14 where the first and second ink injection tubes 51 and 53 are not formed, and the third film 54 54 are subjected to a lithography process to form a third ink injection pattern 55a. The third ink injection pattern 55a may extend to the third cell region group 16f arranged in the second direction. A second ink injection cover 55b may be formed on the third ink injection pattern 55a. The third ink injection pattern 55a and the second ink injection cap 55b may be defined as a third ink injection tube 55.

The first ink injection tube 51, the second ink injection tube 53 and the third ink injection tube 55 are formed on one side of the barrier structure 14 in a direction perpendicular to the first direction . The first ink injection tube 51, the second ink injection tube 53 and the third ink injection tube 55 may be formed of a dry film photoresist (DFR) film. A first ink discharge tube (not shown), a second ink discharge tube (not shown), and a third ink discharge tube (not shown) are provided on the other side of the barrier structure 14, Can be formed in the same manner as the ink injection patterns 51a, 53a and 55a.

12 is a plan view of a barrier structure in a method of manufacturing an electronic paper display device according to another embodiment of the present invention. For the sake of simplicity of explanation, in another embodiment shown in FIG. 12, the same reference numerals are used for components substantially the same as those in FIGS. 6 to 9, and a description of the components will be omitted .

Referring to FIG. 12, the display device of FIGS. 6 to 9 corresponds to a display device in which the relative positions of the basic barrier structure 14 and the opening 14c without the semi-barrier rib 14d are modified. In the structure of the basic barrier structure 14 and the opening 14c as shown in Fig. 1 in which the semi-barrier rib 14d is not provided, the electronic ink 26 between the cell areas is formed by the opening 14c in the cell region formed in a straight line. So that the reliability of RGB color implementation may be problematic. 12, in order to prevent the movement of the electronic ink between the cell regions, the opening 14c formed in the cell region may be randomly formed around the barrier rib structure 14 so as not to have a straight structure . The hexagonal barrier rib structure 14 is composed of two first barrier ribs 14a including openings 14c and four second barrier ribs 14b not including openings 14c, The openings 14c may be formed so as not to face each other. The pattern structure of the formation of the random opening 14c is not limited to that shown in Fig. 12, and all the pattern structures of the two openings 14c are not opposed to each other.

13 is a plan view of a barrier structure in a method of manufacturing an electronic paper display device according to another embodiment of the present invention. For the sake of simplicity of explanation, in another embodiment shown in FIG. 13, the same reference numerals are used for components substantially the same as those in FIGS. 6 to 9, and a description of the components will be omitted .

Referring to Fig. 13, the relative positions of the barrier rib structure 14 and the opening 14c including the semi-barrier rib 14d in the electronic paper display device of Figs. 6 to 9 correspond to the modified display device as shown in Fig. When the display structure formed by bonding the lower substrate and the upper substrate including the barrier structure to the display structure is used upright at right angles to the plane, the basic barrier structure 14 and the openings 14c , It is possible to move the electronic ink 26 between the cell regions by the openings 14c in the cell region formed in a straight line and the phenomenon that the electronic ink leans to the bottom of the cell region due to gravity appears in the cell region Which can cause problems in the reliability of RGB color implementations. 13, in order to prevent the movement of the electronic ink between the cell regions, the opening 14c formed in the cell region may be randomly formed around the barrier rib structure 14 so as not to have a straight line structure , The semi-barrier rib 14d formed in the cell region can prevent the electron ink from leaning, and even when the display device is used in a plane, a right angle, or an arbitrary angle or direction, the characteristics of the electronic ink (reflectivity, , Driving voltage) is maximized to improve the reliability and stability of the color electronic paper display device. 12, the hexagonal barrier rib structure 14 includes two first barrier ribs 14a including openings 14c and four second barrier ribs 14b not including openings 14c. And the two openings 14c may be formed so as not to face each other. The patterning structure of the random opening 14c is not limited to that shown in Fig. 13, and all the patterning structures in which the two openings 14c do not face each other may be possible. The semi-barrier rib 14d is not limited to the semi-barrier ribs 14d shown in FIG. 10, but can be configured to fix the electronic ink 26 in the cell region.

The electronic paper display device of FIGS. 12 and 13, which is another embodiment of the present invention, includes the manufacturing method of the electronic paper display device of FIGS. 2 to 11, the method of implementing monochrome and tricolor electronic ink, ≪ / RTI >

<Comparative Experiment>

14 (a), 14 (b), and 14 (c) are diagrams showing the results of an optical microscope (Optical) showing a result of applying a voltage to an RGB color electronic paper display device in which an opening 14c formed in a cell region has a straight- Microscope. 14 (a) and 14 (b) are diagrams for explaining the case where voltages of +10 V and -10 V are applied to the respective pixel electrodes of the device in which the RGB three-color electronic ink is filled in the first through third cell region groups, To third color area group RGB three-color electronic inks are displayed on the surface of the electronic paper rising to the upper substrate on which ITO is formed on the lower surface. 14 (c) is a photograph of the surface of the electronic paper according to the voltage application after a considerable period of time with the display structure standing at a right angle to the plane, The reliability and stability of the display structure are drastically reduced.

&Lt; Embodiment according to the present invention &

15 (a), 15 (b) and 15 (c) are optical microscope photographs showing the result of applying the RGB color electronic paper display device manufactured according to an embodiment of the present invention to a display device .

15 (a) and 15 (b) are diagrams for explaining the case where voltages of +10 V and -10 V are applied to the respective pixel electrodes of the device in which the RGB three-color electronic ink is filled in the first through third cell region groups, To third color area group RGB three-color electronic inks are displayed on the surface of the electronic paper rising to the upper substrate on which ITO is formed on the lower surface. Fig. 15 (c) is a photograph of the surface of the electronic paper according to the voltage application after a considerable period of time with the display structure standing at a right angle to the plane, and unlike the prior art of Fig. 14, It can be seen that the reliability and stability of the same display structure as in FIG. 15 (b) are maintained.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be practical exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, It will be understood. It is therefore to be understood that the above-described embodiments are illustrative and not restrictive in every respect.

10: Lower substrate
12: Lower electrode
14:
14c: opening
14d: Semi-bulkhead
16: cell area
18: ink injection tube
19: ink discharge tube
20: upper substrate
22: upper electrode
24: Adhesive
26: Electronic ink
30: Display structure
40: Thin film transistor
41: gate electrode
43:
45: source electrode
47: drain electrode
49: capping film
100, 200: Electronic paper display device

Claims (20)

A lower electrode disposed on an upper surface of the lower substrate;
A partition structure having a hexagonal shape having first and second diaphragms disposed on an upper surface of the lower electrode and having a cell region defined by the first diaphragms and the second diaphragms;
An upper substrate including an upper electrode facing the lower electrode disposed on the barrier structure;
And an electronic ink completely filled in the cell region to be in contact with the lower electrode and the upper electrode,
In order to prevent the electronic ink from adhering to the barrier structure, a wall surface of the barrier structure contacting the electronic ink is coated with an insulator material,
The lower electrode is extended and positioned at a lower portion of the whole of the barrier structure and the cell region,
Wherein the hexagonal barrier rib structure comprises two first barrier ribs including openings and four second barrier ribs not including openings, the two openings being formed so as not to face each other,
And an insulating material filling the opening at one end and the other end of the barrier structure.
delete delete Forming a lower electrode on the lower substrate;
A first barrier rib in a first direction including an opening on the lower electrode, and a second barrier rib that does not include openings on both sides of the adjacent opening, wherein the first barrier rib is defined by the first and second barrier ribs Forming a hexagonal partition structure having cell regions;
Forming an ink injection tube at one end of the partition structure;
Covering the upper electrode on the barrier structure;
Filling the cell area with the electronic ink to be in contact with the lower electrode and the upper electrode by injecting electronic ink into the ink injection tube;
Cutting the ink injection tube and removing the ink injection tube from the partition structure; And
Blocking the ink injection tube with an insulating material to prevent the electronic ink from escaping from the barrier structure,
Covering the upper electrode on the barrier structure may include forming the upper electrode on the upper substrate;
Forming an adhesive on the upper electrode; And
And adhering the barrier structure to the adhesive,
In order to prevent the electronic ink from adhering to the barrier structure, a wall surface of the barrier structure contacting the electronic ink is coated with an insulator material,
Wherein the ink injection tube is formed to extend from the first partition,
Wherein the ink injection tubes are formed symmetrically with respect to each other,
Wherein the barrier rib structure and the entire cell region are formed in contact with the upper portion of the lower electrode after the lower electrode is formed,
Wherein the hexagonal barrier rib structure comprises two first bank walls including openings and four second bank walls not including openings, wherein the two openings are formed so as not to face each other. A method of manufacturing a display device.
delete delete delete delete delete 5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the cell regions include a first cell region, a second cell region, and a third cell region alternately arranged in the first direction, and the first cell region, the second cell region, and the third cell region Are arranged in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction to form a first cell region group, a second cell region group, and a third cell region group,
Further comprising forming an ink discharge tube extending from the first partition at the other end of the partition structure when forming the ink injection tube,
Wherein the ink injection tube is formed in one side of the partition structure in the first direction,
Wherein the plurality of ink injection tubes are vertically arranged from the lower substrate.
delete 11. The method of claim 10,
Wherein the ink injection tube comprises a first tube and a second tube, the ink discharge tube comprising a third tube and a fourth tube, the first tube and the third tube being filled in the cell area groups The second tube and the fourth tube are formed at one end of each of the cell region groups and the tartan, and the first tube is formed to have the same color as that of the electronic ink, Wherein the third tube is connected to the fourth tube of the cell region groups from which the same color of electronic ink is ejected.
11. The method of claim 10,
Further comprising preparing a pump and an ink exhausting tube connected to the pump before injecting the electronic ink, and connecting the ink exhausting tube to the ink exhausting tube.
11. The method of claim 10,
The filling of the electronic ink with the barrier rib structure,
And injecting electronic ink of a different color into each of the first cell region group, the second cell region group, and the third cell region group through the ink injection tubes.
5. The method of claim 4,
Before forming the partition structure,
Further comprising forming a thin film transistor in each of the cell regions on the lower substrate, wherein the drain electrode of the thin film transistor is the lower electrode extending to the lower substrate.
delete 5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein said electronic ink is electrically convertible, said dielectric fluid comprising a dye, a dielectric fluid comprising pigment particles, a dielectric fluid comprising a dye and a pigment, a dielectric fluid comprising two or more colored particles, A method for manufacturing an electronic paper display device, comprising:
delete 11. The method of claim 10,
Forming the ink injection tube,
Forming a photoresist film on one side of the barrier structure;
Patterning the photoresist film to form an extending ink injection pattern with the first cell region group; And
And forming an ink injection cover on the ink injection pattern.
delete

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