KR20120007755A - Stereoscopic image display device and method of manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A 3D image display device and a method for manufacturing the same are provided to prevent defects due to misalignment of a mask. CONSTITUTION: A patterned retarder(PRF) is attached to a display surface of a liquid crystal panel. A user watches images displayed by the patterned retarder through polarizing eyeglasses(GLS). The patterned retarder includes partitions, first orientation layers, second orientation layers, and a liquid crystal layer. The partitions are separately formed on a substrate. The first orientation layers and the second orientation layers are alternatively formed between the partitions. The liquid crystal layer is formed on the first orientation layers and the second orientation layers.

Description

Stereoscopic Image Display Device and Method of Manufacturing the Same

An embodiment of the present invention relates to a stereoscopic image display device and a manufacturing method thereof.

The stereoscopic image display apparatus is divided into a binocular parallax technique and an autostereoscopic technique.

The binocular parallax method uses a parallax image of left and right eyes having a large stereoscopic effect. There are two types of binocular parallax: glasses and no glasses. The spectacle method displays a time-division method by changing the polarization direction of left and right parallax images on a direct view type liquid crystal panel or a projector, and realizes a stereoscopic image using polarized glasses or liquid crystal shutter glasses. The autostereoscopic method is generally provided with an optical plate such as a parallax barrier for separating the optical axis of the left and right parallax images in front of or behind the liquid crystal panel.

Recently, due to the commercialization of the stereoscopic image display device and the development of various technologies, a case of applying a patterned retarder, which is an optical film that changes the light modulation characteristics for each pattern, has been increasing.

In order to manufacture a patterned retarder, a method of forming a patterned alignment by irradiating polarized UV with a metal mask patterned at a constant distance from a surface on which an alignment layer is applied has been proposed. Such a method has a problem in that the equipment corresponding to the pattern exposure machine is complicated and the price is high, thereby causing a cost increase in manufacturing the product. In addition, since two mask alignments are required, there is a problem in that patterns overlap due to an increase in complexity of the process and a pattern overlay due to mask miss-alignment. Accordingly, there is a need for a method for preventing a cost increase of a patterned retarder applied to a stereoscopic image display device and improving a problem of overlapping a pattern due to mask misalignment.

Embodiment of the present invention for solving the above-described problems of the background art is a three-dimensional image that can prevent the occurrence of defects due to mask miss-align (mask miss-align) because the orientation mask is not used when manufacturing the patterned retarder A display device and a method of manufacturing the same are provided. In addition, an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a three-dimensional image display device and a method of manufacturing the same that can improve the productivity by reducing the investment cost and manufacturing cost through the use of low-cost large output equipment as well as the convenience of the process.

Embodiment of the present invention as a problem solving means described above, forming a liquid crystal panel; Forming first alignment layers spaced apart from each other on the substrate; Photo-aligning the first alignment layers by irradiating the first polarized ultraviolet ray onto the substrate; Forming second alignment layers between the first alignment layers; Photo-aligning the second alignment layers by irradiating a second polarized ultraviolet ray on the substrate; Forming a liquid crystal layer on the first and second alignment layers and manufacturing a patterned retarder; And attaching the patterned retarder on the display surface of the liquid crystal panel.

At least one of the steps of forming the first alignment layers and the second alignment layers may be formed by an inkjet method or a pattern printing method.

The amount of energy of the first polarized ultraviolet light and the amount of energy of the second polarized ultraviolet light may be the same or different.

The amount of energy of the first polarized ultraviolet light and the amount of energy of the second polarized ultraviolet light may be small when the amount of energy of one is large.

The forming of the first alignment layers may include forming barrier ribs spaced apart from each other on the substrate, and forming the first alignment layers to be spaced apart from each other.

The forming of the partition walls may be made of a black matrix material or a column spacer material included in the liquid crystal panel.

The alignment direction of the first alignment layers and the alignment direction of the second alignment layers may be different.

The liquid crystal layer may contain a polymerizable liquid crystal.

In another aspect, an embodiment of the present invention, a liquid crystal panel; A patterned retarder attached to the display surface of the liquid crystal panel; And polarizing glasses for viewing an image displayed through the patterned retarder, wherein the patterned retarder includes: partitions formed on the substrate and first alignment layers alternately formed between the partitions and having different orientation directions. And a liquid crystal layer formed on the second alignment layers, the first alignment layers, and the second alignment layers.

The partition walls may be formed of a black matrix material or a column spacer material included in the liquid crystal panel.

The embodiment of the present invention has an effect of providing a stereoscopic image display device and a manufacturing method thereof that can prevent the occurrence of defects due to mask misalignment, since the orientation mask is not used when fabricating the patterned retarder. In addition, the embodiment of the present invention can improve the productivity by reducing the investment cost and manufacturing cost through the use of low-cost high-power equipment through the application of a polarized UV alignment device that can irradiate the ultraviolet light on the front surface of the substrate as well as the convenience of the process There is an effect of providing a three-dimensional image display device and its manufacturing method.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a stereoscopic image display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a circuit configuration diagram of a subpixel.
3 to 9 are views for explaining a method of manufacturing a stereoscopic image display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
10 to 16 are views for explaining a manufacturing method of a stereoscopic image display device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, the specific content for the practice of the present invention will be described.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a stereoscopic image display device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a circuit configuration diagram of a subpixel.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a stereoscopic image display apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include an image supply unit SBD, a timing controller TCN, a driver DRV, a display panel PNL, and polarized glasses. GLS).

The image supply unit SBD generates 2D image frame data in two-dimensional mode (2D mode), and generates 3D image frame data in three-dimensional mode (3D mode). The image supply unit SBD supplies timing signals such as a vertical synchronization signal Vsync, a horizontal synchronization signal Hsync, a data enable signal DE, and a main clock, and image frame data to the timing controller TCN. do. The image supply unit SBD is selected in a 2D or 3D mode according to a user selection input through the user interface, generates image frame data corresponding thereto, and supplies the image frame data to the timing controller TCN. The user interface includes user input means such as an on screen display (OSD), a remote controller, a keyboard, and a mouse. Hereinafter, as an example, the image supply unit SBD is selected as the 3D mode and the 3D image frame data is supplied to the timing controller TCN.

The timing controller TCN receives 3D image frame data including left eye image frame data and right eye image frame data from the image supply unit SBD. The timing controller TCN alternately supplies the left eye image frame data and the right eye image frame data to the driver DRV at a frame frequency of 120 Hz or more. In addition, the timing controller TCN supplies a control signal corresponding to the image frame data to the driver DRV.

The driver DRV includes a data driver connected to the data lines to supply a data signal, and a gate driver connected to the gate lines to supply a gate signal. The driver DRV converts the left and right eye image frame data in digital form into left and right eye image frame data in positive / negative analog form and supplies them to the data lines under the control of the timing controller TCN. In addition, the driver DRV sequentially supplies the gate signals to the gate lines under the control of the timing controller TCN.

The display panel PNL receives a gate signal and a data signal from the driver DRV and displays a two-dimensional image or a three-dimensional image correspondingly. The display panel PNL includes a backlight unit BLU, a liquid crystal panel LCD, and a patterned retarder PRF. The liquid crystal panel LCD includes a thin film transistor substrate (hereinafter referred to as a "TFT substrate") on which a thin film transistor and a capacitor are formed, and a color filter substrate on which a color filter and a black matrix are formed. The TFT substrate and the color filter substrate are maintained at a constant interval by a column spacer (CS) and include an alignment layer and a liquid crystal layer therein. In the liquid crystal panel LCD, a sub pixel SP including a liquid crystal layer formed between the TFT substrate and the color filter substrate is formed in a matrix form. The subpixel SP includes a red subpixel, a green subpixel, and a blue subpixel. A general circuit configuration of one subpixel includes a thin film transistor TFT, a storage capacitor Cst, and a liquid crystal layer Clc as shown in FIG. 2. In the thin film transistor TFT, a source electrode is connected to a data line DL to which a data signal is supplied, and a gate electrode is connected to a gate line GL to which a gate signal is supplied. The storage capacitor Cst and the liquid crystal layer Clc are connected to the drain electrode of the thin film transistor TFT, and they receive a common voltage supplied through the common voltage line Vcom. With this configuration, the liquid crystal layer Clc is driven by the difference between the data voltage supplied to the pixel electrode 1 and the common voltage supplied to the common electrode 2. The common electrode is formed on the color filter substrate in a vertical electric field driving method such as twisted nematic (TN) mode and vertical alignment (VA) mode, and is horizontal in the same manner as IPS (In Plane Switching) mode and FFS (Fringe Field Switching) mode. In the electric field driving method, the pixel electrode 1 is formed on the TFT substrate. The liquid crystal mode of the liquid crystal panel (LCD) can be implemented in any liquid crystal mode as well as the TN mode, VA mode, IPS mode, FFS mode. The lower polarizing plate POL1 and the upper polarizing plate POL2 are attached to the TFT substrate and the color filter substrate of the liquid crystal panel LCD, respectively. The liquid crystal panel (LCD) configured as described above can display an image by the light provided from the backlight unit (BLU) and alternate the left eye image and the right eye image according to the polarization change of the patterned retarder (PRF) attached to the display surface. It becomes possible to display. The patterned retarder PRF may be formed to alternately generate the right circularly polarized light R and the left circularly polarized light L for each line of the subpixels SP, but is not limited thereto. On the other hand, the backlight unit BLU is driven under the control of the image supply unit SBD or the timing controller TCN to provide light to the liquid crystal panel LCD. The backlight unit BLU includes a light source for emitting light, a light guide plate for guiding light emitted from the light source toward the liquid crystal panel (LCD), an optical member for diffusing and condensing the light emitted from the light guide plate, and the like. The backlight unit (BLU) is composed of edge type, dual type, quad type and direct type. In the edge type, the light source is disposed on one side of the liquid crystal panel (LCD), and the dual type is the type in which the light source is disposed opposite to both sides of the liquid crystal panel (LCD). In the quad type, the light source is disposed on all sides of the liquid crystal panel (LCD). The direct type is a form in which a light source is disposed below the liquid crystal panel (LCD).

The polarized glasses GLS divides the image displayed on the display panel PNL into a left eye image and a right eye image. Since the left eyeglasses LEFT of the polarizing glasses GLS transmit only the odd-numbered subpixels displayed through the patterned retarder PRF, the user sees only the left eye image. On the contrary, the right eyeglass RIGHT of the polarizing glasses GLS transmits only the even-numbered subpixels displayed through the patterned retarder PRF, so that the user sees only the right eye image.

According to the above structure, when the left eye image and the right eye image are alternately displayed on the display panel PNL for each frame, the user can view the 3D stereoscopic image through the polarized glasses GLS.

Hereinafter, a method of manufacturing a stereoscopic image display device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

3 to 9 are views for explaining a method of manufacturing a stereoscopic image display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 3, a liquid crystal panel (LCD) is formed. The forming of the liquid crystal panel LCD may include forming a thin film transistor TFT, a column spacer CS, a common electrode Vcom, and a pixel electrode PXL on the TFT substrate GLS1, and a color filter substrate. Forming a black matrix BM, a color filter CF, and an overcoating layer OC on the GLS2, and forming a liquid crystal layer LC between the TFT substrate GLS1 and the color filter substrate GLS2. It includes. Here, an alignment layer may be formed inside the TFT substrate GLS1 and the color filter substrate GLS2, which is omitted.

First, the steps of forming the thin film transistor TFT, the column spacer CS, the common electrode Vcom, and the pixel electrode PXL on the TFT substrate GLS1 will be described.

The gate electrode G is formed on the TFT substrate GLS1. The gate electrode G is selected from the group consisting of molybdenum (Mo), aluminum (Al), chromium (Cr), gold (Au), titanium (Ti), nickel (Ni), neodymium (Nd), and copper (Cu). It is formed of a single layer or a multilayer of any one or an alloy thereof. The first insulating film GI is formed on the TFT substrate GLS1 to cover the gate electrode G. The first insulating layer GI may be a silicon oxide film SiOx, a silicon nitride film SiNx, or a multilayer thereof, but is not limited thereto. The active layer ACT is formed on the first insulating layer GI. The active layer ACT may include, but is not limited to, amorphous silicon or polycrystalline silicon crystallized therefrom. The common electrode Vcom is formed on the first insulating layer GI. The common electrode Vcom may be formed of a transparent oxide electrode such as indium tin oxide (ITO) or indium zinc oxide (IZO), but is not limited thereto. The source electrode S and the drain electrode D are formed on the active layer ACT. The source electrode S and the drain electrode D include molybdenum (Mo), aluminum (Al), chromium (Cr), gold (Au), titanium (Ti), nickel (Ni), neodymium (Nd), and copper (Cu). It is formed of a single layer or a plurality of layers consisting of any one or an alloy thereof selected from the group consisting of). The second insulating layer PAS is formed on the first insulating layer GI to cover the source electrode S, the drain electrode D, and the common electrode Vcom. The second insulating layer PAS may be a silicon oxide layer SiOx, a silicon nitride layer SiNx, or multiple layers thereof, but is not limited thereto. The pixel electrode PXL is formed on the second insulating layer PAS. The pixel electrode PXL may be formed of a transparent oxide electrode such as ITO or IZO, but is not limited thereto. The column spacer CS is formed on the second insulating layer PAS on which the thin film transistor TFT is positioned. The column spacer CS may be formed of an organic, inorganic, or inorganic material, but is not limited thereto. In the above description, structures and positions of the common electrode Vcom and the pixel electrode PXL are not limited thereto, but are intended to illustrate an example.

Next, the steps of forming the black matrix BM, the color filter CF, and the overcoating layer OC on the color filter substrate GLS2 are described below.

The black matrix BM is formed on the color filter substrate GLS2. The black matrix (BM) is made of a photosensitive organic material to which black pigments are added, and the black matrix may be formed of carbon black or titanium oxide, but is not limited thereto. The color filter CF is formed on the color filter substrate GLS2 positioned between the black lattices BM. The color filter CF includes red, green, and blue, but may have other colors. An overcoat layer OC is formed on the color filter CF. The overcoat layer OC may be formed of an organic, inorganic, or inorganic material, but is not limited thereto.

Next, a liquid crystal panel LC is formed between the TFT substrate GLS1 and the color filter substrate GLS2 to produce a liquid crystal panel LCD, and the lower polarizing plate POL1 and the upper portion of the liquid crystal panel LCD are formed on the bottom and top of the liquid crystal panel LCD. Attach the polarizing plate POL2.

Various driving devices are attached to the liquid crystal panel (LCD), and a backlight unit is formed. In the description of the embodiment, only one example is illustrated and described to help understanding the structure of the liquid crystal panel (LCD), but the structure of the liquid crystal panel (LCD) included in the present invention is not limited thereto.

Hereinafter, the method of manufacturing a patterned retarder is demonstrated.

As shown in FIG. 4, first alignment layers AL1 spaced apart from each other are formed on the substrate SUB. When the first alignment layers AL1 are formed, the first inkjet head INK-J1 is aligned with a region defined on the substrate SUB, and the first ink layer ink1 is dropped so that the first alignment layers AL1 are dropped. It is formed to be spaced apart from each other.

As shown in FIG. 5, the first alignment layers AL1 are photo-aligned by irradiating the first polarized ultraviolet light UV1 onto the substrate SUB. When the first polarized ultraviolet light UV1 is irradiated, the first alignment layers AL1 are optically aligned in the first direction.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, second alignment layers AL2 are formed between the first alignment layers AL1. When the second alignment layers AL2 are formed, the second inkjet head INK-J2 is aligned with a region defined on the substrate SUB, and the second ink layer ink2 is dropped to form the second alignment layers AL2. The first and second alignment layers AL1 are alternately spaced apart from each other.

As shown in FIG. 7, the second alignment layers AL2 are photo-aligned by irradiating a second polarized ultraviolet ray UV2 onto the substrate SUB. When the second polarized ultraviolet light UV2 is irradiated, the second alignment layers AL2 are optically aligned in the second direction.

As shown in FIG. 8, the liquid crystal layer RM is formed on the first and second alignment layers AL1 and AL2, and the liquid crystal layer RM is cured to form a patterned retarder. The liquid crystal layer RM formed on the first and second alignment layers AL1 and AL2 includes, but is not limited to, a reactive liquid crystal (Reactive Mesogen) that is a polymerizable liquid crystal.

As shown in FIG. 9, the patterned retarder PRF is attached to the upper polarizing plate POL2 on the display surface of the liquid crystal panel LCD. The patterned retarder PRF may be attached to the upper polarizing plate POL2 on the display surface of the liquid crystal panel LCD by the adhesive member AM, but is not limited thereto.

In the above process, the upper polarizing plate POL2 on the display surface of the liquid crystal panel LCD alternately causes the right circular polarization R and the left circular polarization L for each line of the subpixels SP as shown in FIG. 1. A patterned retarder (PRF) is produced.

In the above process, at least one of forming the first alignment layers AL1 and the second alignment layers AL2 may be formed by an inkjet method or a pattern printing method. The amount of energy of the first polarized ultraviolet light UV1 and the amount of energy of the second polarized ultraviolet light UV2 used in the process of photoaligning the first alignment films AL1 and the second alignment films AL2 may be the same or different. have. During the first photoalignment step, when the first photoalignment is performed, the amount of energy of the first polarized ultraviolet light UV1 is increased to raise the first alignment layers AL1 to the saturation range, and then the second alignment layers AL2 are disposed. In the case of secondary photoalignment for the photoalignment, even if the amount of energy of the second polarized ultraviolet light UV2 is slightly reduced, proper photoalignment can be performed. In other words, since ultraviolet rays are irradiated on the entire surface of the substrate SUB, the orientation directions of the first alignment layers AL1 and the second alignment layers AL2 may be changed even if the amount of energy used in the primary or secondary optical alignment is reduced. Can be. That is, the amount of energy of the first polarized ultraviolet light UV1 and the amount of energy of the second polarized ultraviolet light UV2 may be small when one energy amount is large.

Hereinafter, a method of manufacturing a stereoscopic image display device according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described. However, in another embodiment, description of the manufacturing method of the liquid crystal panel is omitted.

10 to 16 are views for explaining a method of manufacturing a stereoscopic image display device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 10, partition walls BW spaced apart from each other are formed on the substrate SUB. The partition walls BW may be formed of a black matrix material or a column spacer material included in the liquid crystal panel, but is not limited thereto.

As illustrated in FIG. 11, first alignment layers AL1 spaced apart from each other are formed using the partition walls BW formed on the substrate SUB. When the first alignment layers AL1 are formed, the first inkjet head INK-J1 is aligned with a region defined on the substrate SUB, and the first ink layer ink1 is dropped so that the first alignment layers AL1 are dropped. It is formed to be spaced apart from each other.

As shown in FIG. 12, the first alignment layers AL1 are photo-aligned by irradiating the first polarized ultraviolet light UV1 onto the substrate SUB. When the first polarized ultraviolet light UV1 is irradiated, the first alignment layers AL1 are optically aligned in the first direction.

As illustrated in FIG. 13, the second alignment layers AL2 are formed using the partition walls BW positioned between the first alignment layers AL1. When the second alignment layers AL2 are formed, the second inkjet head INK-J2 is aligned with a region defined on the substrate SUB, and the second ink layer ink2 is dropped to form the second alignment layers AL2. The first and second alignment layers AL1 are alternately spaced apart from each other.

As shown in FIG. 14, the second alignment layers AL2 are photo-aligned by irradiating the second polarized ultraviolet ray UV2 onto the substrate SUB. When the second polarized ultraviolet light UV2 is irradiated, the second alignment layers AL2 are optically aligned in the second direction.

As shown in FIG. 15, the liquid crystal layer RM is formed on the first alignment layers AL1, the second alignment layers AL2, and the partition walls BW, and the liquid crystal layer RM is cured to be patterned. Create a retarder. The liquid crystal layer RM formed on the first alignment layers AL1, the second alignment layers AL2, and the partition walls BW may include, but is not limited to, a reactive liquid crystal that is a polymerizable liquid crystal.

As shown in FIG. 16, the patterned retarder PRF is attached to the upper polarizing plate POL2 on the display surface of the liquid crystal panel LCD. The patterned retarder PRF may be attached to the upper polarizing plate POL2 on the display surface of the liquid crystal panel LCD by the adhesive member AM, but is not limited thereto.

In the above process, the upper polarizing plate POL2 on the display surface of the liquid crystal panel LCD alternately causes the right circular polarization R and the left circular polarization L for each line of the subpixels SP as shown in FIG. 1. A patterned retarder (PRF) is produced.

As described above, since the embodiment of the present invention does not use an orientation mask when manufacturing a patterned retarder (PRF), a stereoscopic image that can prevent defects (eg, pattern overlap) due to mask miss-alignment is prevented. It is effective to provide a display device and a method of manufacturing the same. In addition, the embodiment of the present invention can improve the productivity by reducing the investment cost and manufacturing cost through the use of low-cost high-power equipment through the application of a polarized UV alignment device that can irradiate the ultraviolet light on the front surface of the substrate as well as the convenience of the process There is an effect of providing a three-dimensional image display device and its manufacturing method.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the technical configuration of the present invention described above may be modified in other specific forms by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains without changing its technical spirit or essential features. It will be appreciated that it may be practiced. Therefore, the embodiments described above are to be understood as illustrative and not restrictive in all aspects. In addition, the scope of the present invention is shown by the claims below, rather than the above detailed description. Also, it is to be construed that all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalent concepts are included in the scope of the present invention.

LCD: Liquid Crystal Panel TFT: Thin Film Transistor
Vcom: common electrode PXL: pixel electrode
CS: column spacer OC: overcoating layer
BM: Black Matrix CF: Color Filter
SUB: Substrate AM: Adhesive Member
AL1: first alignment layers AL2: second alignment layers
UV1: First Polarized UV Light UV2: Second Polarized UV Light
RM: liquid crystal layer BW: partition walls

Claims (10)

Forming a liquid crystal panel;
Forming first alignment layers spaced apart from each other on the substrate;
Irradiating first polarized ultraviolet rays on the substrate to photoalign the first alignment layers;
Forming second alignment layers between the first alignment layers;
Irradiating a second polarized ultraviolet ray on the substrate to photoalign the second alignment layers;
Forming a liquid crystal layer on the first and second alignment layers and manufacturing a patterned retarder; And
And attaching the patterned retarder on the display surface of the liquid crystal panel. The method of claim 1,
At least one of the steps of forming the first and second alignment layers,
A method of manufacturing a stereoscopic image display device, characterized in that formed by an inkjet method or a pattern printing method. The method of claim 1,
The energy amount of the first polarized ultraviolet light and the energy amount of the second polarized ultraviolet light are the same or different. The method of claim 1,
The amount of energy of the first polarized ultraviolet light and the amount of energy of the second polarized ultraviolet light,
A method of manufacturing a stereoscopic image display device, characterized in that, when one energy amount is large, the other energy amount is small. The method of claim 1,
Forming the first alignment layers,
Forming barrier ribs spaced apart from each other on the substrate;
And forming the first alignment layers to be spaced apart from each other between the partition walls. The method of claim 5,
Forming the partitions,
And a black matrix material or a column spacer material included in the liquid crystal panel. The method of claim 1,
The method of claim 3, wherein the alignment direction of the first alignment layers and the alignment direction of the second alignment layers are different from each other. The method of claim 1,
The liquid crystal layer,
A method of manufacturing a stereoscopic image display device comprising a polymerizable liquid crystal. A liquid crystal panel;
A patterned retarder attached to a display surface of the liquid crystal panel; And
Includes polarized glasses for viewing the image displayed through the patterned retarder,
The patterned retarder,
Barrier ribs spaced apart from each other on the substrate, first and second alignment layers formed alternately between the barrier ribs, and having different alignment directions, and a liquid crystal layer formed on the first and second alignment layers; Stereoscopic image display device comprising a. 10. The method of claim 9,
The partitions,
And a black matrix material or a column spacer material included in the liquid crystal panel.

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