KR20070071195A - Method of inspecting liquid crystal display panel and method of fabricating liquid crystal display panel using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for inspecting an outward appearance of a liquid crystal display panel and a method for fabricating a liquid crystal display panel by using the same are provided to improve the productivity by reducing time required for inspecting an outward appearance of the liquid crystal display panel, and prevent damage of the liquid crystal display panel or an accident by handling the liquid crystal panel through mechanical operation. A liquid crystal panel(100) is transferred to an outward appearance inspection unit. The liquid crystal panel is arranged to place the liquid crystal panel between support members(170). The arranged liquid crystal panel is fixed by using fixing members(175) installed on the support members. The support members are lifted to move the liquid crystal panel to a predetermined height. An outward appearance of the liquid crystal panel is inspected.

Description

Method of inspecting the appearance of the liquid crystal display panel and manufacturing method of the liquid crystal display panel using the same {METHOD OF INSPECTING LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY PANEL AND METHOD OF FABRICATING LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY PANEL USING THE SAME}

1 is an exemplary view showing a schematic plan configuration of a unit liquid crystal display panel in which a thin film transistor array substrate and a color filter substrate are opposed to each other.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a liquid crystal display panel formed by combining a first mother substrate on which thin film transistor array substrates are formed and a second mother substrate on which color filter substrates are formed.

Figure 3 is an exemplary view schematically showing the appearance inspection equipment of the liquid crystal display panel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4A and 4B are a plan view and a cross-sectional view schematically showing an appearance inspection unit of the appearance inspection equipment shown in FIG.

5A through 5E are plan views sequentially illustrating a method of inspecting an appearance of a liquid crystal display panel according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

6A through 6G are cross-sectional views sequentially illustrating a method of inspecting appearance of a liquid crystal display panel according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

7 is a flowchart sequentially illustrating a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display panel according to the present invention.

8 is a flowchart sequentially illustrating another manufacturing method of the liquid crystal display panel according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart specifically illustrating an appearance inspection method of a liquid crystal display panel of the present invention in FIGS. 7 and 8.

** Description of symbols for the main parts of the drawing **

100: liquid crystal display panel 110: loading unit

120: drying unit 130: static electricity removing unit

140: appearance inspection unit 150: unloading unit

160: feed roller 165: roller fixing portion

170: support member 174: lifting part

175: fixed member

The present invention relates to a method for inspecting the appearance of a liquid crystal display panel, and more particularly, breaks the unit liquid crystal display panel after cutting and polishing unit liquid crystal display panels fabricated on a large area mother substrate into individual unit liquid crystal display panels. And it relates to a method of inspecting the appearance of the liquid crystal display panel for inspecting the external defect and a method of manufacturing the liquid crystal display panel using the same.

Recently, with increasing interest in information display and increasing demand for using a portable information carrier, a lightweight flat panel display (FPD), which replaces a conventional display device, a cathode ray tube (CRT), is used. The research and commercialization of Korea is focused on. In particular, the liquid crystal display (LCD) of the flat panel display device is an image representing the image using the optical anisotropy of the liquid crystal, is excellent in resolution, color display and image quality, and is actively applied to notebooks or desktop monitors have.

Hereinafter, the liquid crystal display device will be described in detail.

A general liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal display panel including a driving circuit unit, a backlight unit disposed under the liquid crystal display panel to emit light to the liquid crystal display panel, and the backlight unit and the liquid crystal display panel. It consists of a mold frame (case) and a case (supporting).

In particular, referring to FIG. 1, the liquid crystal display panel 10 includes an image display unit 13 in which liquid crystal cells are arranged in a matrix, and a gate pad unit connected to the gate lines 16 of the image display unit 13. 14 and a data pad portion 15 connected to the data lines 17.

In this case, the gate pad unit 14 and the data pad unit 15 are formed in an edge region of the thin film transistor array substrate 1 that does not overlap the color filter substrate 2, and the gate pad unit 14 is a gate. The scan signal supplied from the driver (not shown) is supplied to the gate lines 16 of the image display unit 13, and the data pad unit 15 supplies the image information supplied from the data driver (not shown) to the image display unit 13. Is supplied to the data lines 17.

Although not shown in the drawings, the color filter substrate 2 includes a color filter composed of sub-color filters of red (R), green (G), and blue (B) colors for implementing colors. A black matrix separating the sub color filters and blocking light passing through the liquid crystal layer, and a transparent common electrode applying a voltage to the liquid crystal layer. In addition, the array substrate 1 is arranged on the substrate 1 vertically and horizontally and includes a plurality of gate lines 16 and data lines 17 defining a plurality of pixel regions, and the gate lines 16 and data lines ( And a thin film transistor (TFT), which is a switching element formed at an intersection region of the substrate 17, and a pixel electrode formed on the pixel region.

The array substrate 1 and the color filter substrate 2 configured as described above are joined to face each other by the seal pattern 40 formed on the outer side of the image display unit 13 to form a liquid crystal display panel 10. The bonding of 1 and 2 is performed through a bonding key (not shown) formed on the array substrate 1 or the color filter substrate 2.

In general, a liquid crystal display device includes a plurality of liquid crystal displays by forming thin film transistor array substrates on a large area mother substrate, color filter substrates on a separate mother substrate, and then bonding two mother substrates to improve yield. Panels are simultaneously formed, and a process of cutting the liquid crystal display panels into a plurality of unit liquid crystal display panels is required.

In general, the unit liquid crystal display panel is cut by a wheel having a hardness higher than that of glass, and forming a groove to be cut on the surface of the mother substrate, and causing a crack to propagate along the groove to be cut.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a liquid crystal display panel formed by combining a first mother substrate on which thin film transistor array substrates are formed and a second mother substrate on which color filter substrates are formed.

As shown in the drawing, the unit liquid crystal display panels are formed such that one side of the thin film transistor array substrates 1 protrudes relative to the color filter substrates 2. This is because a gate pad portion (not shown) and a data pad portion (not shown) are formed at edges of the thin film transistor array substrates 1 that do not overlap the color filter substrates 2.

Accordingly, the color filter substrates 2 formed on the second mother substrate 30 may have a first dummy region corresponding to an area where the thin film transistor array substrates 1 formed on the first mother substrate 20 protrude. Are spaced apart by (31).

In addition, each of the unit liquid crystal display panels may be appropriately disposed so as to make the best use of the first and second mother substrates 20 and 30, and depending on the model, the unit liquid crystal display panels generally have a second dummy area ( 32) spaced apart.

After the first mother substrate 20 on which the thin film transistor array substrates 1 are formed and the second mother substrate 30 on which the color filter substrates 2 are formed are bonded, the liquid crystal display panels are individually cut. The first dummy region 31 formed in the region where the color filter substrates 2 of the mother substrate 30 are spaced apart from the second dummy region 32 that separates the unit liquid crystal display panels is simultaneously removed.

After the liquid crystal display panels are individually cut from the bonded first mother substrate 20 and the second mother substrate 30, the sharp edges of the unit liquid crystal display panel are polished to thereby form the thin film transistor array substrate 1. Short circuits formed at the edges of the thin film transistor array substrate 1 are removed to block static electricity that may be generated when a conductive film is formed on the substrate, and debris is torn off from the edge of the unit liquid crystal display panel by external impact. It is possible to prevent the phenomenon and to prevent the operator from being injured by the sharp edge of the unit liquid crystal display panel during the process.

As described above, each unit liquid crystal display panel cut and manufactured by the unit liquid crystal display panel undergoes an inspection step to determine whether there is a defect. Here, the inspection of the appearance defect of the unit liquid crystal display panel is inspected through the eyes of the inspector before the pattern inspection using the auto probe (AP). In the past, the inspector directly inspects the transferred liquid crystal display panel. As a result, the LCD panel is inspected for damage and external scratches of the LCD panel.

However, when inspecting a large liquid crystal display panel, it is difficult for an inspector to handle the liquid crystal display panel by hand, and there is a problem in that the liquid crystal display panel is damaged or an unexpected safety accident occurs during the process.

The present invention is to solve the above problems, the appearance of the liquid crystal display panel for inspecting whether the appearance of the liquid crystal display panel defects without damage or safety accident of the large liquid crystal display panel and manufacturing of the liquid crystal display panel using the same The purpose is to provide a method.

Another object of the present invention is to handle the liquid crystal display panel by a mechanical drive rather than manual operation by the inspector's hand to reduce the time required for inspection and to facilitate the inspection of the external appearance inspection method of the liquid crystal display panel and the liquid crystal using the same A manufacturing method of a display panel is provided.

Further objects and features of the present invention will be described in the configuration and claims of the invention which will be described later.

In order to achieve the above object, the liquid crystal display panel appearance inspection method of the present invention comprises the steps of transferring the liquid crystal display panel to the appearance inspection unit; Arranging the liquid crystal display panel such that the liquid crystal display panel is positioned between the supporting members on both sides; Fixing the aligned liquid crystal display panel using a fixing member provided on the support members; Lifting the support members on both sides to move the liquid crystal display panel to a predetermined height; And inspecting an appearance of the liquid crystal display panel.

In addition, the manufacturing method of the liquid crystal display panel of the present invention comprises the steps of providing a mother substrate divided into a plurality of panel regions; Performing an array process on the mother substrate for the array substrate, and performing a color filter process on the mother substrate for the color filter substrate; Forming an alignment layer on a surface of the mother substrate; Performing a rubbing on the mother substrate on which the alignment layer is formed; Bonding the pair of mother substrates after the rubbing is finished; Separating the bonded mother substrates into a plurality of liquid crystal display panels; Transferring the liquid crystal display panel to an appearance inspecting unit; Arranging the liquid crystal display panel such that the liquid crystal display panel is positioned between the supporting members on both sides; Fixing the aligned liquid crystal display panel using a fixing member provided on the support members; Lifting the support members on both sides to move the liquid crystal display panel to a predetermined height; And inspecting an appearance of the liquid crystal display panel.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail a preferred embodiment of the external inspection method of the liquid crystal display panel and the manufacturing method of the liquid crystal display panel using the same.

3 is an exemplary view schematically illustrating an appearance inspection apparatus of a liquid crystal display panel according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

After the polishing process of the liquid crystal display panel, particles generated during polishing and residues of the spraying material for polishing remain on the liquid crystal display panel, and a cleaning process for removing the liquid crystal display panel is required.

To this end, the external appearance inspection equipment of the liquid crystal display panel of the present embodiment, as shown in the drawing, is provided with a cleaning unit 120 in front of the appearance inspection unit 140. That is, the appearance inspection equipment of the present embodiment is composed of a loading unit 110, a cleaning unit 120, an appearance inspection unit 140 and an unloading unit 150, the cleaning unit 120 and the appearance inspection unit 140 An electrostatic removing unit 130 for removing static electricity on the liquid crystal display panel may be further disposed therebetween.

The cleaning unit 120 is composed of a shower unit 121 and a drying unit 123, wherein the shower unit 123 is brushed to remove particles remaining on the liquid crystal display panel after polishing. And a first shower unit performing a shower, a high pressure treatment of a pad unit of the liquid crystal display panel, and a second shower unit performing a shower on the front surface of the liquid crystal display panel. The drying unit 123 may include an air knife. and a first drying unit for drying the liquid crystal display panel through an air knife and a second drying unit for drying by hot air or infrared rays.

The static electricity removing unit 130 removes static electricity on the liquid crystal display panel by using an ionizer, and the appearance inspection unit 140 damages the external liquid crystal panel and external scratches and blacks through the eyes of an inspector. Defects such as stains will be examined. In the external inspection of the liquid crystal display panel, a periodic sampling inspection is usually performed. However, if a defect of the liquid crystal display panel is detected during the inspection, a full inspection is performed to inspect the entire liquid crystal display panel. Will be performed.

At this time, the movement of the liquid crystal display panel from the loading unit 110 to the unloading unit 150 is performed by a transfer device such as a roller provided in each unit.

The liquid crystal display panel introduced into the loading unit 110 corresponds to the back surface of the upper and lower substrates so that particles generated during polishing are wiped out by a brush provided in the first shower unit, and the first shower The front and bottom surfaces of the upper and lower substrates exposed by the showers mounted on the negative upper and lower inner walls are cleaned. At this time, the particles washed by the brush are washed off by deionized water supplied by the shower.

The pad portion of the liquid crystal display panel is exposed to the outside as a portion that is connected to a driving printed circuit board (PCB), and the pad portion of the liquid crystal display panel washed first through the first shower portion is the second shower. It is cleaned by the ultrapure water sprayed through the high pressure treatment in the unit.

That is, the second shower unit not only performs ultrapure water cleaning on the pad portion of the liquid crystal display panel through an injection device that sprays ultrapure water at a high pressure, but also uses a shower provided on upper and lower sidewalls of the second shower unit. Final cleaning is performed on the entire surface of the liquid crystal display panel.

The liquid crystal display panel after the high pressure treatment and the final cleaning is completed through the second shower unit is transferred to the first drying unit, and the liquid crystal display panel cleaned by spraying air through an air knife in the first drying unit. To dry the surface.

Subsequently, in the second drying unit, hot air or infrared rays are applied to the surface of the first dried liquid crystal display panel to complete drying.

In addition, the static electricity remover 130 generates predetermined ions through an ionizer and reacts with the static electricity generated on the surface of the liquid crystal display panel to neutralize the static electricity on the surface of the liquid crystal display panel.

Subsequently, the external appearance inspecting unit 140 inspects external appearance defects such as damage to the liquid crystal display panel, external scratches or black stains.

At this time, the appearance inspection unit 140 can easily inspect the large liquid crystal display panel by supporting the liquid crystal display panel on both sides of the feed roller to support the liquid crystal display panel to elevate or incline at a predetermined angle. That is, the inspector does not need to directly lift the large liquid crystal display panel by hand, thereby preventing damage to the liquid crystal display panel and unexpected safety accident caused by the error of the inspector in advance.

Hereinafter, the appearance inspection unit 140 will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

4A and 4B are a plan view and a cross-sectional view schematically showing an appearance inspection unit of the appearance inspection equipment shown in FIG. 4B illustrates a cross section taken along line IV-IV of the visual inspection unit illustrated in FIG. 4A.

As shown in the figure, the liquid crystal display panel 100 cleaned and dried through the cleaning unit is transferred to the appearance inspection unit 140 of the present embodiment through a plurality of transfer rollers 160.

In this case, the feed rollers 160 of the appearance inspecting unit 140 are designed to have a length shorter than the vertical length of the liquid crystal display panel 100, and the liquid crystal display panel 100 has a portion of both edges thereof. It is placed on the transfer rollers 160 in a state protruding out of the (160). Here, both side edges of the protruding liquid crystal display panel 100 are supported by a pair of support members 170 provided on the outside of the transfer rollers 160.

The pair of support members 170 may be driven up and down to lift the liquid crystal display panel 100 placed on the support members 170 to a predetermined height from the transfer rollers 160 to inspect the eyes through the eyes of the inspector. Can be facilitated. That is, the pair of support members 170 are provided with a lifting unit 174 that moves up and down at the bottom thereof so that the support members 170 are moved up and down by the vertical driving of the lifting unit 174. .

At this time, the pair of lifting portions 174 can be individually controlled in the vertical driving, the support member 170 on one side and the support member 170 on the other side can be raised and lowered to different heights. In this case, the liquid crystal display panel 100 can be tilted and raised by a predetermined angle to facilitate the inspection of the liquid crystal display panel 100 through the eyes of the inspector.

For reference, reference numeral 165 denotes a roller fixing part at which ends of the plurality of feed rollers 160 are fixed.

Fixing members 175 are installed on the supporting members 170 to fix the liquid crystal display panel 100 placed on the supporting members 170 to facilitate inspection. The backward movement allows the liquid crystal display panel 100 to be fixed by the fixing members 175 or to be transported away from the fixing members 175. Hereinafter, the supporting members 170 and the fixing members ( A process of inspecting the appearance of the liquid crystal display panel 100 using the 175 will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

5A through 5E are plan views sequentially illustrating a method of inspecting an external appearance of a liquid crystal display panel according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 6A through 6G sequentially illustrate a method of inspecting external appearance of a liquid crystal display panel according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing to show.

6A to 6G sequentially show cross sections taken along line IV-IV of the external appearance inspecting unit of FIG. 4A according to the procedure of the external appearance inspection process of the liquid crystal display panel.

In general, a liquid crystal display panel forms a plurality of thin film transistor array substrates on a large area mother substrate, color filter substrates on a separate mother substrate, and then bonds the two mother substrates to improve yield. Display panels are simultaneously formed, and a process of cutting the bonded mother substrate into a plurality of unit liquid crystal display panels is required.

The individually cut liquid crystal display panels are polished at the edges of the cut liquid crystal display panel, and thus, the edges of the thin film transistor array substrate are blocked at the edges of the thin film transistor array substrate to block static electricity generated when the conductive film is formed on the thin film transistor array substrate. The formed short-circuit wiring is removed, and the debris is torn off from the edge of the unit liquid crystal display panel by an external impact and prevents the worker from being injured by the sharp edge of the liquid crystal display panel during the process. It can prevent.

Each of the liquid crystal display panels, which are individually cut and polished, is transferred to the appearance inspection equipment of the present embodiment to inspect the liquid crystal display panel for damage and external scratches through the eyes of the inspector.

At this time, the particles generated during polishing and the residue of the spraying material for polishing remain on the liquid crystal display panel, and a cleaning process for removing them is necessary.

After the cleaning process, the liquid crystal display panel as shown in FIGS. 5A and 6A, the external appearance inspection unit 140 from the cleaning unit through the plurality of feed rollers 160 to inspect the appearance defect of the liquid crystal display panel 100. Will be transferred to).

In this case, the liquid crystal display panel 100 is formed by bonding the upper color filter substrate (not shown) and the lower array substrate (not shown) as described above, and between the color filter substrate and the array substrate, a liquid crystal layer ( Not shown) is formed.

Although not shown in the drawing, the color filter substrate includes a color filter composed of sub-color filters of red (R), green (G), and blue (B) colors that implement color, and the sub-color filter. It consists of a black matrix for separating the light and blocking the light passing through the liquid crystal layer, and a transparent common electrode for applying a voltage to the liquid crystal layer.

In addition, the array substrate is a thin film transistor that is a switching element formed in a plurality of gate lines and data lines arranged on the array substrate vertically and horizontally to define a plurality of pixel regions, and intersecting the gate lines and the data lines. A transistor (TFT) and a pixel electrode formed on the pixel region.

Although the drawing shows a conveying apparatus composed of a plurality of conveying rollers 160, for example, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the conveying apparatus may be composed of a plurality of conveyor belts. In addition, the conveying apparatus includes a form in which a first conveying portion composed of conveyor belts and a second conveying portion composed of conveying rollers are combined.

Subsequently, as shown in FIGS. 5B and 6B, the liquid crystal display panel 100 transferred to the appearance inspecting unit 140 is aligned at a predetermined position in the appearance inspecting unit 140 for inspection. That is, the liquid crystal display panel 100 is aligned so that the edges of the liquid crystal display panel 100 are placed on the support members 170 provided on both sides of the appearance inspection unit 140, and then the inspection is performed through a method to be described later. Done. 6A and 6B illustrate a case in which the support member 170 is positioned below the transfer rollers 160 on which the liquid crystal display panel 100 is placed, which is the liquid crystal display panel 100. The support member 170 is moved upward when the alignment of the liquid crystal display panel 100 is completed, in order to prevent the transfer from being disturbed by the support member 170 in the process of being transferred through the roller 160. By adjusting the horizontal level with the feed rollers 160.

In this case, when the sampling inspection of several liquid crystal display panels 100 of the plurality of liquid crystal display panels 100 that are input at one time is performed, the sampled liquid crystal display panel 100 may flow into the appearance inspection unit 140. When the liquid crystal display panel 100 is aligned, the inspection is performed. When a defect is detected in the liquid crystal display panel 100 as a result of the sampling inspection, all the liquid crystal display panels flowing into the appearance inspection unit 140 ( 100) will be inspected after alignment.

When the liquid crystal display panel 100 is aligned between the pair of support members 170 as described above, the fixing members 175 provided on the support members 170 are respectively as shown in FIGS. 5C and 6C. The liquid crystal display panel 100 is fixed by moving toward the liquid crystal display panel 100. At this time, the drawing shows a case in which the fixing member 175 of one side is configured as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the present invention is not limited thereto, and the fixing member 175 is divided into several parts. The same applies if configured.

5D and 6D, in the state where the liquid crystal display panel 100 is fixed by the fixing members 175, the support members 170 of both sides are moved upward to move the feed roller 160. ) Raises the liquid crystal display panel 100 to a predetermined height.

At this time, the support members 170 are respectively moved up and down through a pair of lifting portions 174 installed at the lower portion.

As described above, the liquid crystal display panel 100 is raised from the bottom of the clean room (not shown) by a predetermined height to perform inspection through the eyes of the inspector. In this case, the inspector easily inspects the appearance of the liquid crystal display panel 100. As shown in FIG. 6E, only one support member 170 of the pair of support members 170 is moved upward by a predetermined height.

That is, the inspector can easily inspect the liquid crystal display panel 100 through the eye when the liquid crystal display panel 100 is inclined at a predetermined angle than the horizontal display, and in this case, the support member 170 on the one side. The upper and lower driving between the pair of support members 170 are controlled differently so that the height rises higher than the support member 170 of the other side.

When the external inspection of the liquid crystal display panel 100 by the inspector is finished, as shown in FIG. 6F, the pair of supporting members 170 are placed on the transfer rollers 160. Will move them downward. At this time, when the height of the pair of support members 170 is different at the time of appearance inspection, the liquid crystal display panel 100 is downwardly controlled by controlling the vertical movement between the pair of support members 170 differently. Alternatively, the liquid crystal display panel 100 may be moved downward through the same control after maintaining horizontality between the pair of support members 170.

When the inspected liquid crystal display panel 100 is placed on the transfer rollers 160, a pair of fixing members fixing both sides of the liquid crystal display panel 100 as shown in FIGS. 5E and 6G. After moving 175 in the opposite direction to the liquid crystal display panel 100, the liquid crystal display panel 100 is transferred to the next process.

The external inspection method of the liquid crystal display panel of the present embodiment can handle the liquid crystal display panel by mechanical driving rather than manual operation by the inspector's hand when inspecting a large liquid crystal display panel, thereby reducing the time required for inspection. The test will be easy to proceed. In addition, the external inspection method of the liquid crystal display panel of the present embodiment can prevent the damage or unexpected safety accident of the liquid crystal display panel generated during the manual operation of the inspector.

Hereinafter, a manufacturing method of the liquid crystal display panel using the external appearance inspection method of the liquid crystal display panel will be described in detail.

7 is a flowchart sequentially illustrating a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display panel according to the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a flowchart sequentially illustrating another method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display panel according to the present invention.

7 illustrates a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display panel when a liquid crystal layer is formed by a liquid crystal injection method, and FIG. 8 illustrates a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display panel when a liquid crystal layer is formed by a liquid crystal drop method.

The manufacturing process of the liquid crystal display device may be largely divided into a driving element array process of forming a driving element on a lower array substrate, a color filter process of forming a color filter on an upper color filter substrate, and a cell process.

First, a plurality of gate lines and data lines arranged on a lower substrate to define a pixel region are formed by an array process, and thin film transistors, which are driving elements connected to the gate lines and data lines, are formed in each of the pixel regions (S101). ). In addition, the pixel electrode is connected to the thin film transistor through the array process to drive the liquid crystal layer as a signal is applied through the thin film transistor.

In addition, the upper substrate is formed with a color filter layer and a common electrode composed of sub-color filters of red, green, and blue that implement color by a color filter process (S103). In this case, when a liquid crystal display device having an in-plane switching (IPS) method is manufactured, the common electrode is formed on a lower substrate on which the pixel electrode is formed through the array process.

Subsequently, after the alignment films are applied to the upper and lower substrates, an alignment control force or surface fixing force (ie, a pretilt angle and an orientation direction) is applied to the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer formed between the upper substrate and the lower substrate. In order to provide the alignment layer, the alignment layer is subjected to alignment treatment (S102 and S104). In this case, a rubbing or photoalignment method may be applied as the alignment treatment method.

Then, the upper substrate and the lower substrate after the rubbing process are inspected whether the alignment layer is defective through the alignment layer inspector (S105).

The liquid crystal display panel uses the electro-optic effect of the liquid crystal. The electro-optic effect is determined by the anisotropy of the liquid crystal itself and the molecular arrangement state of the liquid crystal. Therefore, the control of the molecular arrangement of the liquid crystal is used to stabilize the display quality of the liquid crystal display panel. It will have a big impact.

Therefore, the alignment film forming process for more effectively aligning the liquid crystal molecules is very important in relation to the image quality characteristics in the liquid crystal cell process.

Such a rubbing defect inspection method includes a first inspection for inspecting the presence of spots, streaks or pin holes on the surface of the coated alignment film after the alignment film is applied, and the uniformity and scratch of the surface of the rubbed alignment film after rubbing. There is a secondary test that checks for the presence of scratches, etc.

As shown in FIG. 7, a spacer for maintaining a constant cell gap is formed on the lower substrate after the alignment layer inspection, and a sealing material is applied to an outer portion of the upper substrate, and then pressure is applied to the lower substrate and the upper substrate. To be attached (S106, S107, S108). In this case, the spacer may be a ball spacer by a scattering method, or may be a column spacer by patterning.

On the other hand, the lower substrate and the upper substrate is composed of a large area mother substrate. In other words, a plurality of panel regions are formed in a large area mother substrate, and a thin film transistor and a color filter layer serving as driving elements are formed in each of the panel regions, so that the mother substrate is cut and processed in order to manufacture a single liquid crystal display panel. Must be (S109).

In this case, the cut and processed liquid crystal display panel is subjected to the appearance inspection through the appearance inspection method of the present embodiment, which will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 9.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart specifically illustrating an appearance inspection method of a liquid crystal display panel of the present invention in FIGS. 7 and 8.

Each of the liquid crystal display panels individually cut and polished as described above is transferred to the appearance inspection unit of the present embodiment (S201).

In this case, particles generated during polishing and particles of the spraying material for polishing remain on the liquid crystal display panel, and a cleaning process for removing them may be performed.

Thereafter, the liquid crystal display panel transferred to the visual inspection unit is aligned so that the edges of the liquid crystal display panel are placed on the supporting members provided on both sides of the visual inspection unit. When the liquid crystal display panel is aligned between the pair of support members, both ends of the liquid crystal display panel are fixed through the fixing members provided on the support members (S202).

Subsequently, in the state in which the liquid crystal display panel is fixed by the fixing members, the support members on both sides are moved upward to raise the liquid crystal display panel to a predetermined height from the feed rollers (S203).

As such, when the liquid crystal display panel is raised from the bottom of the clean room by a predetermined height, the appearance inspection is performed through the eyes of the inspector (S204). The external inspection of the liquid crystal display panel inspects the liquid crystal display panel for damage or external stains and black spots through the eyes of the inspector.

In this case, the tester may control the vertical movement between the pair of support members differently so that the inspector can easily inspect the appearance of the liquid crystal display panel so that the support member on one side may be raised higher than the support member on the other side. have.

If it is determined that the product is inspected by the inspector as a result of good appearance, the pair of supporting members are moved downward so that the liquid crystal display panel is placed on the transfer rollers (S205).

When the inspected liquid crystal display panel is placed on the transfer rollers, the pair of fixing members fixing both sides of the liquid crystal display panel is released to transfer the liquid crystal display panel to the next process (S206).

If it is determined that the liquid crystal display panel is defective as a result of the external inspection of the liquid crystal display panel, the liquid crystal display panel is disposed of according to the defective state or a predetermined repair is performed (S207). In addition, when the sampling inspection determines that the defect of the liquid crystal display panel is determined, the whole inspection may be performed.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 7, the liquid crystal is injected into the liquid crystal display panel that has undergone the external appearance inspection as described above, and the liquid crystal inlet is encapsulated to form a liquid crystal layer. The panel is manufactured (S110, S111).

At this time, the injection of the liquid crystal uses a vacuum injection method using a pressure difference, the vacuum injection method is a container filled with the liquid crystal in the chamber in which a constant vacuum is set in the liquid crystal injection hole of the unit liquid crystal display panel separated from the mother substrate of a large area The liquid crystal is injected into the liquid crystal display panel by injecting the liquid crystal into the liquid crystal display panel by the pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the liquid crystal display panel. The liquid crystal layer of the liquid crystal display panel is formed. Therefore, when the liquid crystal layer is formed in the liquid crystal display panel through a vacuum injection method, a part of the seal pattern should be opened to have a function of the liquid crystal injection hole.

However, the vacuum injection method as described above has the following problems.

First, it takes a very long time to fill the liquid crystal in the liquid crystal display panel. In general, since the bonded liquid crystal display panel has a gap of several μm in an area of several hundred cm 2, even if a vacuum injection method using a pressure difference is applied, the amount of liquid crystal injected per unit time is very small. For example, when manufacturing a liquid crystal display panel of about 15 inches takes about 8 hours to fill the liquid crystal there is a problem that the production of the liquid crystal display panel takes a lot of time, productivity is lowered. In addition, as the size of the liquid crystal display panel increases in size, the time required for filling the liquid crystal becomes longer, resulting in poor filling of the liquid crystal, and as a result, there is a problem in that it cannot cope with the increase in size of the liquid crystal display panel.

Second, the consumption of liquid crystals is high. In general, the amount of liquid crystal actually injected into the liquid crystal display panel is very small compared to the amount of liquid crystal filled in the container, and when the liquid crystal is exposed to the atmosphere or a specific gas, it reacts with the gas and deteriorates. Therefore, even if the liquid crystal filled in the container is filled in a plurality of liquid crystal display panels, a large amount of liquid crystals remaining after the filling should be discarded. As such, the expensive liquid crystals are discarded, resulting in an increase in the cost of the liquid crystal display panel. It is a factor that weakens the price competitiveness of the product.

The dropping method may be applied to overcome the problems of the vacuum injection method as described above.

As shown in FIG. 8, in the case of using the dropping method, after completing the alignment layer inspection (S105), a predetermined seal pattern is formed on the color filter substrate with a sealant and a liquid crystal layer is formed on the array substrate. (S106 ', S107').

The dropping method uses a dispenser to drop and dispense liquid crystals in an image display area of a first large substrate having a plurality of array substrates or a second mother substrate having a plurality of color filter substrates disposed thereon. The liquid crystal layer is formed by uniformly distributing the liquid crystals to the entire image display area by the pressure for bonding the first and second mother substrates together.

Therefore, when the liquid crystal layer is formed on the liquid crystal display panel by dropping, the seal pattern should be formed in a closed pattern surrounding the pixel portion region to prevent the liquid crystal from leaking outside the image display region.

The dropping method can drop the liquid crystal in a short time compared to the vacuum injection method, and even when the liquid crystal display panel is enlarged, the liquid crystal layer can be formed very quickly.

In addition, since only the required amount of liquid crystal is dropped on the substrate, the price competitiveness of the liquid crystal display panel due to the disposal of expensive liquid crystal, such as a vacuum injection method, is prevented, thereby enhancing the price competitiveness of the product.

Thereafter, the liquid crystal is dropped as described above and the pressure is applied while the upper substrate and the lower substrate on which the sealing material is applied are aligned to bond the lower substrate and the upper substrate by the sealing material, and the liquid crystal dropped by application of pressure at the same time. To spread evenly across the panel (S108 '). By such a process, a plurality of liquid crystal display panels in which a liquid crystal layer is formed are formed on a large area mother substrate (lower substrate and upper substrate). The liquid crystal display panel is manufactured by cutting and separating the liquid crystal display panels into a plurality of liquid crystal display panels and inspecting the respective liquid crystal display panels (S109 'and S110'). In this case, the inspection of the liquid crystal display panel includes the external inspection method of the present embodiment described with reference to FIG. 9.

Many details are set forth in the foregoing description but should be construed as illustrative of preferred embodiments rather than to limit the scope of the invention. Therefore, the invention should not be defined by the described embodiments, but should be defined by the claims and their equivalents.

As described above, the method for inspecting the appearance of the liquid crystal display panel and the method for manufacturing the liquid crystal display panel using the same according to the present invention can shorten the time required for inspecting the appearance of the liquid crystal display panel, thereby improving productivity.

In addition, the method of inspecting the appearance of the liquid crystal display panel and the method of manufacturing the liquid crystal display panel using the same according to the present invention, the liquid crystal display that can occur during manual operation by treating the liquid crystal display panel to be inspected by mechanical operation without the hands of the inspector Panel damage and unexpected safety accidents can be prevented.

Claims (33)

Transferring the liquid crystal display panel to an appearance inspection unit; Arranging the liquid crystal display panel such that the liquid crystal display panel is positioned between the supporting members on both sides; Fixing the aligned liquid crystal display panel using a fixing member provided on the support members; Lifting the support members on both sides to move the liquid crystal display panel to a predetermined height; And And inspecting the external appearance of the liquid crystal display panel. The method of claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal display panel is transferred through a transfer device. The method of claim 2, wherein the transfer device comprises a plurality of transfer rollers. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the width of the liquid crystal display panel is longer than that of the conveying rollers so that an edge of the liquid crystal display panel protrudes out of the conveying rollers. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein both edges of the protruding liquid crystal display panel are placed on and supported on the supporting members on both sides. The method of claim 1, wherein the fixing members on both sides are moved toward the liquid crystal display panel to fix both ends of the liquid crystal display panel. The method of claim 1, wherein the supporting members on both sides move upward and downward through lifting portions provided at lower portions of the supporting members, respectively. The method of claim 1, further comprising tilting the liquid crystal display panel at a predetermined angle by raising the support member of one side higher than the support member of the other side. The method of claim 1, wherein external appearance defects, such as damage to the liquid crystal display panel or external scratches, are inspected through an examiner's eye. Providing mother substrates divided into a plurality of panel regions; Performing an array process on the mother substrate for the array substrate, and performing a color filter process on the mother substrate for the color filter substrate; Forming an alignment layer on a surface of the mother substrate; Performing a rubbing on the mother substrate on which the alignment layer is formed; Bonding the pair of mother substrates after the rubbing is finished; Separating the bonded mother substrates into a plurality of liquid crystal display panels; Transferring the liquid crystal display panel to an appearance inspecting unit; Arranging the liquid crystal display panel such that the liquid crystal display panel is positioned between the supporting members on both sides; Fixing the aligned liquid crystal display panel using a fixing member provided on the support members; Lifting the support members on both sides to move the liquid crystal display panel to a predetermined height; And And a method of inspecting an appearance of the liquid crystal display panel. The method of claim 10, further comprising: removing the particles remaining on the liquid crystal display panel by cleaning the liquid crystal display panel transferred to the visual inspection unit. The method of claim 10, wherein the liquid crystal display panel is transferred to an appearance inspection unit through a transfer device. The method of claim 12, wherein the transfer device comprises a plurality of transfer rollers. The method of claim 13, wherein the width of the liquid crystal display panel is longer than that of the conveying rollers so that an edge of the liquid crystal display panel protrudes out of the conveying rollers. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein both edges of the protruding liquid crystal display panel are supported on the supporting members on both sides. The method of claim 12, wherein the transfer device comprises a plurality of conveyor belts. The method of claim 12, wherein the transfer device comprises a first conveying portion composed of conveyor belts and a second conveying portion composed of conveying rollers. The method of claim 10, wherein the fixing members on both sides are moved toward the liquid crystal display panel to fix both ends of the liquid crystal display panel. The method of claim 10, wherein the fixing member has one configuration. The method of claim 10, wherein the fixing member is divided into a plurality of parts. The method of claim 10, wherein the support members on both sides of the support member move upward and downward through lifting portions provided at lower portions of the supporting members. The method of claim 10, further comprising tilting the liquid crystal display panel at a predetermined angle by raising the support member on one side higher than the support member on the other side. The method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display panel according to claim 10, wherein the visual inspection such as damage to the liquid crystal display panel or external defects is inspected through the eyes of the inspector. The method of claim 10, wherein the externally inspected liquid crystal display panel further comprises moving the liquid crystal display panel to its original position by lowering the support members on both sides. . The method of claim 10, wherein when the sampling inspection is performed, the external appearance inspection is performed on several liquid crystal display panels among a plurality of liquid crystal display panels that are input at one time. 11. The method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display panel according to claim 10, wherein all liquid crystal display panels are visually inspected when the total inspection is performed. The method of claim 10, wherein the panel region of the upper portion of the bonded mother substrate is an array substrate on which a thin film transistor is formed through the array process, the lower panel region is a color filter substrate formed of a color filter through the color filter process. A liquid crystal display panel manufacturing method characterized by the above-mentioned. The method of claim 10, wherein the plurality of panel regions are formed of at least two different sizes. The liquid crystal display of claim 10, wherein a liquid crystal is dropped on one of the rubbing array substrate mother substrate and the color filter substrate mother substrate, and a sealing material is coated on the other mother substrate. Method of manufacturing the panel. 30. The method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display panel according to claim 29, wherein the mother substrate onto which the liquid crystal is dripped and the pair of mother substrates to which the sealing material is applied are bonded. The liquid crystal display of claim 10, wherein a spacer is formed on any one of the rubbing array substrate mother substrate and the color filter substrate mother substrate, and a sealing material is coated on the other mother substrate. Method of manufacturing the panel. 32. The method of claim 31, wherein the mother substrate on which the spacer is formed and the pair of mother substrates on which the sealing material is applied are bonded. 33. The method of claim 32, wherein the bonded mother substrate is cut into a plurality of liquid crystal display panels, and then liquid crystal is injected into the liquid crystal display panel.

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