KR20070120635A - Method and apparatus for forming alignment film of liquid crystal display device - Google Patents

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for forming an alignment layer of an LCD are provided to form the alignment layer in a desired pattern even without a separate mask, by using a coating apparatus having at least one slit so as to apply a material of forming an alignment layer on a desired position of a substrate through the slit. A material of forming an alignment layer is applied on the entire surface of a substrate(200) by using a coating apparatus(100) including at least one slit(110). An alignment layer is formed by hardening the material. An alignment layer pattern of a desired shape is formed by removing a portion of the hardened alignment layer selectively using plasma of normal pressure or laser without a mask. The material is a polyimide-based compound.

Description

Method and apparatus for forming an alignment layer of a liquid crystal display device TECHNICAL FIELD OF APPARATUS FOR FORMING ALIGNMENT FILM OF LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY DEVICE

1 is a view showing a schematic configuration of a roll coating apparatus according to the prior art.

2 is a view showing a coating apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a plasma generator for generating an atmospheric pressure plasma using a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD).

4 and 5 are views showing a process of forming an alignment film on a substrate using a plasma generator according to the present invention.

6 is a view showing a schematic configuration of an atmospheric plasma jet according to the present invention.

7 is a view showing a state in which an alignment film is formed on a substrate by an atmospheric pressure plasma jet.

8 is a block diagram showing a schematic structure of a laser beam generator according to the present invention.

9 is a block diagram showing a schematic structure of a laser beam generator according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

10 is a view showing a state in which an alignment film having a predetermined pattern is formed on a substrate by a laser beam generator.

The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for forming an alignment layer of a liquid crystal display device, and more particularly, to form an alignment layer of a liquid crystal display device capable of patterning an alignment layer in a desired shape on a specific portion of a substrate without using a separate mask. A method and apparatus are disclosed.

In general, a liquid crystal display device includes an upper substrate, a lower substrate, and a liquid crystal filled between the upper and lower substrates. In the lower substrate, a switch element such as a thin film transistor and a pixel corresponding thereto are formed in a matrix form, and a common electrode and a color filter are formed in the upper substrate. In addition, an alignment layer according to the alignment characteristic of the liquid crystal to be filled is formed on the opposite surface of the upper and lower substrates.

The liquid crystal display device displays an image by passing or blocking light incident from the light guide plate using the electro-optical effect of the liquid crystal, and the electro-optic effect is determined by the anisotropy of the liquid crystal itself and the molecular arrangement state of the liquid crystal. In order to secure the responsiveness and uniformity required in the liquid crystal display device, it is essential to orient the molecules of the liquid crystal filled between the upper and lower substrates in a specific direction to have characteristics such as a single crystal. In order to align the liquid crystal molecules, an alignment layer is formed on opposite sides of the upper and lower substrates of the liquid crystal display, and the alignment layer is usually coated and cured with a polyamide-based polymer compound by a spin coating or roll coating method with a thickness of 500 to 1000 GPa. It is then formed through a rubbing process. The rubbing process defines an alignment angle on the surface of the alignment layer to impart an alignment direction to the liquid crystal molecules.

In the spin coating method, since a large amount of polyamide is used and an alignment layer is coated on the entire substrate, a separate etching process is used at the periphery except for the active region in order to divide and form several liquid crystal display devices on one substrate. There is a problem in that unnecessary alignment film must be removed. Therefore, in recent years, the roll coating method is used a lot as a method of forming an oriented film in a board | substrate.

Hereinafter, a process of forming an alignment layer on a substrate by a roll coating apparatus according to the related art will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 is a view showing a schematic configuration of a roll coating apparatus according to the prior art.

As shown in FIG. 1, the roll coating apparatus according to the related art is engaged with a doctor roll 11 of rubber material and the doctor roll 11 and is coated with a metal such as chromium. Anilox Roll 13, a Printing Roll 15 engaged with the Anilox Roll 13, and a Printing Rubber Sheet 16 attached to the Printing Roll 15.

The printed rubber plate 16 is embossed with a pattern 17 of a shape corresponding to the active region to which the alignment film is applied. The pattern 17 allows the alignment layer to be applied to the active region formed on the substrate 10 on the stage 12. In more detail, when the alignment film forming material, which is a polyamide-based polymer compound, is injected into the anilox roll 13 by the dispenser 14, the doctor roll 11 rotates together with the anilox roll 13 and the anilox roll 13 is used. The alignment film forming material is attached to the surface of (13) with a uniform thickness. Then, when the anilox roll 13 is engaged with the printing roll 15 to rotate, the alignment film forming material is transferred to the embossed pattern 17 of the printing rubber plate 16 attached to the printing roll 15. At this time, when the substrate 10 placed on the stage 12 moves at the same speed as the rotation speed of the printing roll 15, the alignment layer forming material is coated on the substrate 10 in a predetermined pattern 17. When the alignment film forming material applied in this way is subjected to a predetermined curing process and a rubbing process, the alignment film is completed.

However, such a conventional alignment film formation technique has the following problems.

First, a separate printing rubber plate should be used according to the size and shape of the liquid crystal display device to be manufactured. However, since the price of the printing rubber plate is high, the manufacturing cost increases when the quantity of the liquid crystal display device is small. In addition, as the size of the liquid crystal display device changes, the printing rubber plate attached to the printing roll should be detached and a new printing rubber plate should be attached. In this case, the printing rubber plate should be correctly aligned with the active area of the liquid crystal display device. It takes considerable effort and time, and the production process is interrupted during the replacement of the printed rubber sheet, which significantly lowers the work efficiency and increases the manufacturing cost.

Second, when the printed rubber sheet has a slight defect or a misalignment, there is a problem in that a transfer defect of the alignment layer occurs, and the entire expensive substrate cannot be used or the substrate must be regenerated.

Third, since the size of the printed rubber sheet is often increased due to the compressive force of the printing process, there is a problem that a plurality of printed rubber sheets need to be prepared extra for each LCD display model.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for forming an alignment film of a liquid crystal display device capable of patterning an alignment film in a desired shape on a specific portion of a substrate without using a separate mask. To provide.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a coating apparatus for selectively applying the alignment layer forming material to a specific position on the substrate through at least one slit; In addition, an alignment film forming apparatus for a liquid crystal display device including a curing device for curing the coated alignment layer forming material is provided.

In addition, the present invention comprises the steps of selectively applying the alignment layer forming material to a specific position of the substrate using a coating device having at least one slit; The present invention also provides a method of forming an alignment layer of a liquid crystal display device comprising curing the alignment layer forming material to complete an alignment layer pattern.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention in which the above object can be specifically realized are described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[First Embodiment]

2 is a view showing a coating apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2, the alignment layer forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a coating apparatus 100 for selectively applying the alignment layer forming material to a specific position on the substrate 200 through the slit 110.

The slit 110 provided in the coating apparatus 100 serves to apply the alignment layer forming material to a specific position (active region) 210 on the substrate as a portion where the polyimide compound, which is the alignment layer forming material, is discharged. At least one of the slits 110 may be provided so that the coating apparatus 100 may simultaneously apply the alignment layer forming material to the plurality of active regions 210.

In addition, the width of the slit 110 is preferably equal to the width or length of the active region 210 on the substrate 200 to which the alignment layer forming material is to be applied. This is because when the width of the slit 110 is smaller than the width of the active region 210, the alignment layer forming material may not be applied to the entire active region 210 in one step. In more detail, when the substrate 200 or the coating apparatus 100 is horizontally moved in the direction of the arrow on the drawing by a driving device such as a linear motor (not shown), the alignment layer forming material is discharged through the slit 110 to form a substrate. The alignment layer forming material is applied to a specific position (active region) 210 on the 200. At this time, when the width of the slit 110 is smaller than the width of the active region 210, the alignment layer is formed on the entire active region 210. In order to apply the material, the coating apparatus 100 or the substrate 200 must be repeatedly moved horizontally. However, when the width of the slit 110 is formed to be equal to the horizontal or vertical width of the active region 210, the coating device 100 or the substrate 200 is horizontally moved once to form the alignment layer forming material over the entire active region 210. Can be applied.

The coating apparatus 100 having the slit 110 as described above may be provided in plural numbers in response to the enlargement of the substrate 200. When the substrate 200 is enlarged, the width of the slits 110 or the number of slits 110 must be increased, which means that the coating apparatus 100 is enlarged. However, in this case, there is a problem in that the equipment must be newly manufactured in accordance with the difficulty of manufacturing the equipment and the increase in the manufacturing cost and the change of the substrate dimensions. Therefore, when the size of the substrate 200 is increased, it is efficient to install a plurality of coating apparatuses 100 as necessary to proceed with the alignment film forming process.

Meanwhile, the alignment layer forming material applied to the active region 210 of the substrate 200 through the slit 110 is cured by a curing apparatus to form an alignment layer pattern on the substrate 200. Specifically, the alignment layer forming material is cured through a pre-baking proceeding to 60 ~ 80 ℃ and the main curing (main curing) process proceeds to a temperature of 80 ~ 200 ℃.

As described above, the first embodiment of the present invention applies the alignment layer forming material to the active region 210 on the substrate 200 directly through the at least one slit 110, and thus does not require a separate mask, but also the alignment layer. There is no need for an additional etch or patterning process of the alignment film to remove it.

Second Embodiment

Meanwhile, the coating apparatus 100 (see FIG. 2) may apply the alignment layer forming material to the entire surface of the substrate through one slit 110. In this case, the alignment film forming material, which is the coated polyimide compound, is pre-baked to 60 to 80 ° C. and main curing to be carried out at a temperature of 80 to 200 ° C. by the curing device. Curing through the process.

However, when the alignment layer forming material is applied to the entire surface of the substrate through one slit 110, a part of the alignment layer needs to be removed to obtain a desired alignment layer pattern. That is, in order to complete the alignment film pattern of a desired form, the operation | work which removes the unnecessary alignment film applied other than the active area of a board | substrate is needed. Here, an atmospheric plasma may be used as a means for removing an unnecessary portion of the alignment layer.

3 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a plasma generator for generating an atmospheric pressure plasma using a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD).

As shown in FIG. 3, a dielectric plate 330 having a high dielectric constant is positioned at one side of the electrode 320 connected to the power supply 310, and the ground plate 340 is disposed at a position opposite to the dielectric plate 330. Located. Therefore, when charge is accumulated in the dielectric plate 330 by the power supply 310, a voltage is applied between the dielectric plate 330 and the ground plate 340, and when the voltage is above a predetermined level, the dielectric plate 330 is applied. A short pulse type discharge of several tens of nanoseconds occurs between the ground plate 340 and the ground plate 340. The gas is ionized by the discharge to generate the atmospheric pressure plasma 350, and the generated atmospheric pressure plasma is used to process the surface of the substrate 400.

The atmospheric pressure plasma generated by the plasma generator 300 generally has a low processing temperature of 30 to 150 ° C., and the reactive particles (radicals) have a high density of about 10 ¹³ to 10 ¹⁵ cm ^{−3 and} have a fast reaction speed. . In addition, the atmospheric pressure plasma can be generated without expensive vacuum equipment, and can be used to continuously process the surface of an object having a large area because the dielectric plate 330 can be generated in a large area by adjusting the size of the dielectric plate 330. The width of the atmospheric pressure plasma generated by the plasma generator 300 may be appropriately adjusted in the range of 2-20 mm as necessary.

A process of forming an alignment layer of a desired pattern on a substrate using the plasma generator 300 will be described.

4 and 5 are views showing a process of forming an alignment film on a substrate using a plasma generator according to the present invention.

First, as shown in FIG. 4A, when an alignment layer forming material, which is a polyimide compound, is applied to the entire surface of the substrate 400 through one slit 110 provided in the coating apparatus 100, and then cured. As shown in FIG. 4B, the plasma generator 300 is positioned at a predetermined point on the substrate 400 to selectively remove a portion of the cured alignment layer. Specifically, the plasma generator 300 ejects an atmospheric pressure plasma having a predetermined width in a straight line in the horizontal direction to remove a portion of the alignment layer.

Here, the atmospheric plasma can effectively remove not only the polyimide that has undergone pre-drying or main curing but also the liquid polyimide. Therefore, the removal of the alignment layer using the atmospheric pressure plasma may be performed after the preliminary drying or the main curing, or immediately after the alignment layer forming material is applied to the substrate 400. If necessary, the alignment layer may be removed after the alignment layer rubbing process. Hereinafter, unless otherwise indicated, the term alignment film is used to collectively refer to an alignment film forming material, a pre-dried or main cured alignment film, and an alignment film that has undergone a rubbing process.

Through this process, an unnecessary alignment layer is removed to form an alignment bone 410 in the horizontal direction. (See FIG. 4C) Here, the horizontal alignment bone 410 is simultaneously formed by the plasma generator 300. Preferably, the plasma generator 300 generates an atmospheric pressure plasma that is formed longer than the length of the horizontal alignment bone 410.

As such, when the horizontal alignment valleys 410 are formed, the switching elements and the wiring array formed on the substrate 400 are exposed, and thus, wire connection for completing the liquid crystal display device is possible. The width of the alignment bone 410 in the horizontal direction is determined by adjusting the width of the atmospheric pressure plasma generated in the plasma generator 300 as described above.

As shown in FIG. 4C, the plasma generator 300 is moved in the vertical direction by a predetermined interval, that is, by the vertical width of the active region of the liquid crystal display device to be manufactured). The process shown in is repeated. Of course, the process illustrated in FIG. 4B may be repeated by moving the substrate 400 by a predetermined interval in the vertical direction while fixing the plasma generator 300. The movement distance of the plasma generator 300 or the substrate 400 is controlled by a conventional control device according to the size of the liquid crystal display device to be manufactured.

As described above, when the processes illustrated in FIGS. 4B and 4C are repeated, as illustrated in FIG. 4D, the plurality of horizontally aligned alignment valleys 410 are provided at regular intervals throughout the substrate 400. Is formed.

When the horizontal alignment bone 410 is formed, a plurality of vertical alignment bones 420 are formed through a process as illustrated in FIGS. 5A to 5D. In this case, the plasma generator 300 or the substrate 400 moves by a predetermined interval in the horizontal direction, and the plasma generator 300 generates an atmospheric pressure plasma that is formed longer than the length of the vertically aligned bone 420. . The process of forming the alignment bone 420 in the vertical direction is almost the same as the process of forming the alignment bone 410 in the horizontal direction, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

When the alignment bones 410 and 420 in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction are completed as described above, as shown in FIG. 5D, finally, the alignment bones of the grid shape are formed on the substrate 400. That is, the alignment film applied in addition to the active region of the substrate 400 is removed to form an alignment film having a desired pattern on the substrate 400.

However, as the size of the above-mentioned plasma generator increases in size, the problem of developing a new device larger than the existing size, the problem of having to be able to generate atmospheric pressure plasma of various widths according to the width of the alignment bone to be formed, Since it is a relatively large device, there is a problem that free movement or rotation is difficult. In addition, as the plasma generator is periodically turned on and off during the movement of the plasma generator for forming the alignment bone, the process is delayed by the time that the plasma is initially stabilized to have the same electrical characteristics, and the orientation generated by the initial unstable plasma. There are problems of causing a bad shape of the bone shape, as the plasma generating apparatus is enlarged, a problem of applying a higher power plasma generating power, and a problem of manufacturing cost increase.

6 is a view showing a schematic configuration of an atmospheric plasma jet according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 6, the power source 510 is connected to the round bar-shaped center electrode 520, and the center electrode 520 is inserted into the round tube-shaped ground electrode 540 through the insulator 530. It is. The upper part of the ground electrode 540 is provided with a gas supply pipe 550 for supplying a plasma generating gas, the lower end of the detachable nozzle-shaped end cap 560 having a hole 570 through which the generated plasma is injected Is equipped.

When charge is transferred to the center electrode 520 by the power source 510, a voltage is applied between the center electrode 520 and the ground electrode 540. When the voltage is above a predetermined level, the center electrode 520 and the ground are applied. The discharge occurs in the form of a short pulse of several tens of nanoseconds between the electrodes 540. Plasma generating gas is ionized by the discharge to generate atmospheric pressure plasma, which is injected through the end cap 560, and the substrate surface is processed using the generated plasma.

The atmospheric plasma jet 500 does not require expensive vacuum equipment for generating an atmospheric pressure plasma, and has various widths easily as a simple replacement of the end cap 560 having a different size of the hole 570 through which plasma is injected. There is a characteristic that can generate an atmospheric pressure plasma. Therefore, according to the size change of the substrate and the change of the width of the alignment bone to be generated, a new plasma generator needs to be developed every time, and in particular, when a large plasma generator is developed to cope with a large substrate, a higher-powered plasma generation power is applied. There is no problem that the manufacturing cost and the resulting cost increase. Plasma width variable region through replacement of conventional end cap 560 is 0.5-20 mm. In addition, since the overall shape of the atmospheric plasma jet 500 is small, it is possible to continuously process the surface of an object by a scanning method along a predetermined path. There is no process delay problem. In addition, the plasma generated once can be used until the completion of the process, and the strength of the plasma is also strong, so that continuous high-speed movement is possible. Typically, the moving speed of the atmospheric pressure plasma jet 500 is 1 to 20 m / min.

A process of forming an alignment layer having a desired pattern on a substrate using the atmospheric pressure plasma jet 500 will be described.

7 is a view showing a state in which an alignment film is formed on a substrate by an atmospheric pressure plasma jet.

As shown in FIG. 7, when the alignment layer forming material is applied to the entire surface of the substrate 600 through one slit 110 provided in the coating apparatus 100 and cured, the substrate 600 is formed using the atmospheric pressure plasma jet 500. ) To form a plurality of horizontal alignment valleys 610 and vertical alignment valleys 620 to complete the desired alignment layer pattern 630. Unlike the above-described plasma generator, the atmospheric plasma jet 500 moves along a predetermined path and removes the alignment layer applied in addition to the active region 630 of the substrate by scanning to form a desired alignment layer pattern.

Meanwhile, a laser may be used in place of the atmospheric pressure plasma as a means for removing an unnecessary portion of the alignment layer.

8 is a block diagram showing a schematic structure of a laser beam generator according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 8, the initial laser beam 711 generated by the laser oscillator 710 passes through the beam expander 720 and the beam uniformizer 730. The laser beam 731 passing through the beam homogenizer 730 is reflected by the reflector 740 toward the substrate 600 and then passes through the laser beam transfer means 750 to reach the substrate 600. .

In more detail, the initial laser beam 711 generated by the laser oscillator 710 is passed through the beam expander 720 and enlarged to a desired size, and the laser beam 721 passing through the beam expander 720 is Passing through the beam homogenizer 730 makes the energy distribution uniform. The initial laser beam 711 has a single mode or a multi-mode characteristic and has an uneven energy distribution. However, the laser beam 751 finally reaching the substrate 600 should have parallel and uniform beam characteristics. Therefore, the initial laser beam 711 first passes through the beam expander 720 and the beam homogenizer 730 sequentially. The laser beam 731 passing through the beam homogenizer 730 is reflected by the reflector 740 toward the substrate 600. Here, the energy of the reflected laser beam 741 is not lost and is transmitted to the laser beam delivery means 750 with the same energy and energy distribution as the laser beam 731 incident on the reflector 740. The laser beam 741 reaching the laser beam delivery means 750 passes through the laser beam delivery means 750 and becomes a laser beam 751 having a parallel and uniform energy distribution and is transmitted to the substrate 600.

The laser beam 751 transmitted to the substrate 600 through such a process typically has an energy density of 10 ⁶ to 10 ⁷ W / cm ² , and thus has a high processing speed. In addition, the laser beam may be adjusted to a specific size by using the above-described beam expander 720 or by installing a slit (not shown) that can be adjusted in the laser beam delivery means 750. The cross section of the laser beam is generally circular or elliptical, and the cross section diameter of the laser beam is in the range of about 0.1 to 40 mm.

The laser beam generator 700 having such a structure can generate a laser beam having a desired size without additional mechanisms and devices, thereby easily coping with the size change of the substrate 600 and the width change of the alignment layer to be removed. In addition, since the overall shape of the laser beam generator 700 is small, it is possible to continuously process the surface of the object in a scanning manner along a specific pattern as in the above-described atmospheric plasma jet, and thus there is no problem of process delay. The laser beam can be used to complete the process. Typically the scanning speed of the laser beam is 1-20 m / min.

Since the process of forming the alignment layer of the desired pattern on the substrate 600 by using the laser beam generator 700 is the same as the above-described atmospheric plasma jet, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Third Embodiment

Unlike the second embodiment, the third embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that an alignment film having a predetermined pattern is formed on a substrate by annealing the alignment film forming material, which is a polyimide compound, using a laser beam.

9 is a block diagram showing a schematic structure of a laser beam generator according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 9, the initial laser beam 811 generated by the laser oscillator 810 passes through the beam expander 820 and the beam homogenizer 830. The laser beam 831 passing through the beam homogenizer 830 is reflected by the reflector 840 toward the substrate 900 and then passes through the laser beam delivery means 850 and is diffused at a predetermined angle to focus the lens. Forwarded to 860. The laser beam 851 transmitted to the focusing lens 860 is converted into a parallel laser beam 861 having a constant width and reaches the substrate 900.

In more detail, the initial laser beam 811 generated by the laser oscillator 810 passes through the beam expander 820 and is enlarged to a desired size, and the laser beam 821 passing through the beam expander 820 is Passing through the beam homogenizer 830 makes the energy distribution uniform. The initial laser beam 811 has a single mode or a multi-mode characteristic and has an uneven energy distribution. However, the laser beam 851 finally reaching the substrate 900 should have parallel and uniform beam characteristics. Thus, the initial laser beam 811 first passes through the beam expander 820 and the beam homogenizer 830 sequentially. The laser beam 831 passing through the beam homogenizer 830 is reflected toward the substrate 900 by the reflector 840. Here, the energy of the reflected laser beam 841 is not lost and is transmitted to the laser beam delivery means 850 with the same energy and energy distribution as the laser beam 831 incident on the reflector 840. The laser beam 841 reaching the laser beam delivery means 850 passes through the laser beam delivery means 850 and is diffused at an angle to become a laser beam 851 having a band-shaped cross-section. ) Is converted into a laser beam 861 having a uniform energy distribution and transmitted to the substrate 900. Through this process, the laser beam 861 transmitted to the substrate 900 cures the alignment layer forming material applied on the substrate 900.

Here, as described above, the laser beam generally has an energy density of 10 ⁶ to 10 ⁷ W / cm ² , but diffuses through the laser beam delivery means 860 to have an energy density suitable for curing the alignment layer forming material. do. In order to diffuse the laser beam, a device such as a diffusion lens is provided inside the laser beam transmitting unit 860.

By using the laser beam generator 800 configured as described above, a laser beam having a desired size can be generated without additional devices and devices, thereby easily responding to a pattern change of an alignment layer to be changed in size and removed from the substrate 900. The width of the laser beam that can penetrate the laser beam delivery means 860 and is diffused is 20 to 1300 mm. In addition, since the laser beam generator 800 according to the third embodiment of the present invention also has a small overall shape as in the above-described atmospheric plasma jet, it is possible to continuously process the surface of an object by scanning along a specific pattern. There is no delay problem, and the laser beam generated once can be used to complete the process. Typically the scanning speed of the laser beam is 1-20 m / min.

10 is a view showing a state in which an alignment film having a predetermined pattern is formed on a substrate by a laser beam generator.

As shown in FIG. 10, when the alignment layer forming material is applied to the entire surface of the substrate 900 through one slit 110, the alignment layer forming material is selectively cured using the laser beam generator 800. That is, the laser beam generator 800 is moved at a constant speed to scan the substrate 900 to cure the alignment layer forming material applied to the active region 930 on the substrate 900 to complete a desired alignment layer pattern. At this time, the remaining alignment film forming material that is not cured by the laser beam is removed through the cleaning apparatus. Of course, the uncured alignment layer forming material may be removed using a device such as a vacuum suction device or a roller. The vacuum suction device moves along the upper surface of the substrate and generates a vacuum suction force to remove the uncured alignment layer forming material, and the roller rotates along the upper surface of the substrate to wipe off the alignment layer forming material.

The third embodiment of the present invention is characterized in preliminary drying or main curing of the alignment layer forming material using a laser beam. To this end, as described above, the laser beam generated by the laser beam generator 800 passes through the laser beam delivery means 850 to have an energy density suitable for curing the alignment layer forming material, and the irradiation time of the laser beam is also Adjusted. When the alignment layer forming material is preliminarily dried or hardened using a laser beam to form the alignment layer pattern 930, the process time is shortened because the preliminary drying or the main curing process and the alignment layer forming process are simultaneously performed.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that, in addition to the embodiments described above, the present invention can be embodied in many other specific forms without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. Therefore, the above-described embodiments are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive, and thus, the invention is not limited to the above detailed description, but may vary within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

According to the present invention, after the alignment layer forming material is applied to the entire surface of the substrate, an alignment layer having a predetermined pattern is formed by using an atmospheric pressure plasma or a laser beam. Therefore, even when the alignment layer forming material is applied to the substrate by using a roll coating method, there is no need to replace the printing rubber plate according to the size change of the liquid crystal display device, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the printing rubber plate and stopping the process for replacing the printing rubber plate. Since it can avoid the effect, it can increase the production efficiency.

In addition, since the embossed pattern does not need to be formed on the printed rubber sheet, the embossed pattern may be deformed by pressure, and the printed rubber sheet may be prevented from being damaged in the process of attaching the embossed pattern, thereby extending the life of the printed rubber sheet. There is an effect that can be done.

The present invention enables a continuous process by forming an alignment film of a predetermined pattern on a substrate using a small atmospheric plasma jet. Therefore, it is possible to solve the problem of delay in the process time required for the initial plasma stabilization and the formation of alignment bones due to the unstable plasma due to ON / OFF plasma. In addition, since there is no need to develop an additional atmospheric pressure plasma generator according to the enlargement of the substrate, there is a problem of increasing the manufacturing cost required to develop the atmospheric pressure plasma generator in response to the substrate, and a problem of difficult to transport and rotate the large atmospheric pressure plasma generator. I can solve it.

According to the present invention, since the alignment film having a predetermined pattern is formed on the substrate using a laser beam generator, an alignment film pattern having a clear outline can be obtained. In addition, since the width or intensity of the laser beam can be easily changed, the size of the substrate and the size of the alignment layer pattern to be generated can be easily changed.

In addition, the overall shape of the laser beam generator is compact, it is possible to proceed quickly because the scanning method can be continuous, there is an advantage that can use the laser beam generated once until the process is completed. On the other hand, when the alignment layer forming material is preliminarily dried or main-cured using a laser beam to form the alignment layer pattern, the process time is shortened because the preliminary drying of the alignment layer forming material or the main curing process and the alignment layer forming process are simultaneously performed.

Claims (12)

Selectively applying the alignment layer forming material to a specific position of the substrate using a coating apparatus having at least one slit; And, And curing the alignment layer forming material to complete the alignment layer pattern. Applying the alignment layer forming material to the entire surface of the substrate using a coating device provided with one slit; Curing the alignment layer forming material to form an alignment layer; And, And removing a portion of the cured alignment layer by using atmospheric pressure plasma to selectively remove a portion of the cured alignment layer to complete an alignment layer pattern having a desired shape. Applying the alignment layer forming material to the entire surface of the substrate using a coating device provided with one slit; Curing the alignment layer forming material to form an alignment layer; And, And removing a portion of the cured alignment layer by using a laser to selectively remove a portion of the cured alignment layer to complete an alignment layer pattern having a desired shape. Applying the alignment layer forming material to the entire surface of the substrate through an application device provided with one slit; Selectively curing a portion of the alignment layer forming material using a laser; And, And removing the alignment layer forming material not cured by the laser to complete the alignment layer pattern having a desired shape. The method of claim 1, wherein the alignment film forming material is a polyimide compound. A coating apparatus for selectively applying the alignment layer forming material to a specific position on the substrate through at least one slit; And, And a curing apparatus for curing the coated alignment layer forming material. A coating apparatus for applying the alignment layer forming material to the entire surface of the substrate through one slit; A curing device for curing the coated alignment layer forming material; And, And a means for selectively removing a part of the cured alignment film without using a mask. 8. The alignment film forming apparatus of claim 7, wherein the means for selectively removing a portion of the cured alignment film without using a mask is atmospheric pressure plasma. 8. The alignment film forming apparatus of claim 7, wherein the means for selectively removing a portion of the cured alignment film without using a mask is a laser. A coating apparatus for applying the alignment layer forming material to the entire surface of the substrate through one slit; A curing device for selectively curing a portion of the applied alignment layer forming material; And a device for removing the alignment film forming material that is not cured by the curing device to complete the alignment film pattern having a desired shape. The alignment layer forming apparatus of claim 6, 7, or 10, wherein the alignment layer forming material is a polyimide compound. The alignment layer forming apparatus of claim 10, wherein the curing apparatus is a device using a laser beam.

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