KR20130067460A - Electrophoretic display apparatus and method for manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: An electrophoretic display device and a manufacturing method of the same are provided to smoothly attach an upper substrate to a lower substrate using sealing patterns and a sealant and to seal a display solvent included in the upper substrate, thereby improving manufacture efficiency. CONSTITUTION: A partition(130) formed on a first substrate(100) defines multiple unit pixel regions. A display solvent(160) including multiple charged particles(150) and a solvent(155) is filled in the unit pixel regions. A common electrode(210) is formed in a second substrate(200). Sealing patterns(230) formed in a lower part of the common electrode seal the unit pixel regions. The first and second substrates are attached by a sealant(240) which is formed in a gap between the sealing patterns.

Description

Electrophoretic display device and its manufacturing method {ELECTROPHORETIC DISPLAY APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME}

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

An electrophoretic display device refers to an apparatus that displays an image using an electrophoresis phenomenon in which colored charged particles move by an electric field applied from the outside. Here, the electrophoretic phenomenon refers to a phenomenon in which the charged particles move in the solvent by the Coulomb force when an electric field is applied while the charged particles are dispersed in the solvent.

The electrophoretic display device has a feature of bistable, so that even if the applied voltage is removed, the displayed image can be displayed for a long time. That is, since the electrophoretic display device can maintain a constant screen for a long time even without applying a voltage continuously, the electrophoretic display device is a display device suitable for an e-book field in which a quick replacement of the screen is not required.

In addition, unlike a liquid crystal display device, an electrophoretic display device does not have a dependency on a viewing angle, and displays an image by reflecting light incident from the outside, thereby providing a comfortable image to the eye as much as paper. Can be. In addition, demand has increased due to the advantages of flexibility, low power consumption, and eco-like flexibility.

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

Referring to FIG. 1, the electrophoretic display device according to the related art includes an electrophoretic film interposed between a lower substrate 10 and an upper substrate 20 that are opposed to each other, and the lower substrate 10 and the upper substrate 20. (30).

The lower substrate 10 includes a plurality of gate lines (not shown) and a plurality of data lines (not shown) formed to cross each other. A plurality of unit pixels are defined by the gate line and the data line. The thin film transistors 12 and TFT and the pixel electrode 14 are formed for each of the plurality of unit pixels formed on the lower substrate 10.

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

The upper substrate 20 includes a common electrode 22 facing the pixel electrode 14.

The electrophoretic film 30 includes a plurality of microcapsules 32 composed of a plurality of charged particles 34 and a solvent, an adhesive layer applied on the microcapsule 32, and a protective layer protecting the adhesive layer. It is composed. Here, some of the charged particles 34 are partially charged with positive (+), and the other part is charged with negative (-).

When an electric field is formed between the pixel electrode 14 of the lower substrate 10 and the common electrode 22 of the upper substrate 20, the charged particles 34 included in the microcapsule 32 are moved upward by electrophoresis. The image is realized by moving toward the substrate 20 or toward the lower substrate 10.

The electrophoretic display device according to the related art includes a lower substrate 10 formed through a separate process, an upper substrate 20 formed by a process separate from the forming process of the lower substrate 10, and the upper substrate. The electrophoretic films 30 attached to each other in a lamination method are manufactured, and then the two substrates 10 and 20 are bonded to each other to be completed.

Here, the electrophoretic film 30 is stored and transported in a state attached to the upper substrate 20. Thereafter, the protective layer attached to the adhesive layer is removed from the upper substrate to which the electrophoretic film is attached to expose the adhesive layer of the electrophoretic film, and the adhesive layer is exposed to bond the upper substrate and the lower substrate to the electrophoresis. Complete the display device.

Therefore, since the lower substrate 10, the upper substrate 20 and the electrophoretic film 30 must be manufactured separately, the manufacturing process is complicated, and manufacturing time is required, resulting in low manufacturing efficiency. In addition, it is very difficult to accurately align the upper substrate 20 and the lower substrate 10 is also a major cause of failure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide an electrophoretic display device having a high display quality and a manufacturing method thereof.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a method of manufacturing an electrophoretic display device capable of improving manufacturing efficiency of an electrophoretic display device.

The present invention provides a new type electrophoretic display device in which an electrophoretic layer is directly formed on a lower substrate, and a manufacturing method for bonding the lower substrate and the upper substrate on which the electrophoretic layer is directly formed. Let it be technical problem.

The present invention is to solve the above problems, to simplify the bonding process of the upper substrate and the lower substrate, and to provide an electrophoretic display device and a method of manufacturing the same that can reduce the defects caused by the bonding as a technical problem. .

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide an electrophoretic display device and a method of manufacturing the same, which can realize a high quality image in various colors.

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

Electrophoretic display device of the present invention for achieving the above object is a partition wall formed on the first substrate to define a plurality of unit pixel region; A display solvent filled with the unit pixel region including a plurality of charged particles and a solvent; A second substrate having a common electrode formed thereon; Sealing patterns formed under the common electrode to seal the unit pixel area; And a sealing material formed in a space between the sealing patterns to bond the first and second substrates together.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing an electrophoretic display device, the method including: forming a partition wall defining a plurality of unit pixel areas on a first substrate; Filling a plurality of unit pixel areas with a display solvent including a plurality of charged particles and a solvent; Forming a common electrode on a second substrate corresponding to the first substrate; Forming sealing patterns under the common electrode to seal the unit pixel area; And forming a sealing material in the space between the sealing patterns to bond the first and second substrates together.

The present invention according to an embodiment can provide an electrophoretic display device having a high display quality and a manufacturing method thereof.

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

The present invention according to the embodiment can provide an electrophoretic display device and a method of manufacturing the same that can improve the stability and driving reliability of the charged particles internalized on the lower substrate.

The present invention according to the embodiment can provide an electrophoretic display device and a method of manufacturing the same that can implement a high quality image in a variety of colors.

A method of manufacturing an electrophoretic display device according to an embodiment of the present invention may improve mass production of an electrophoretic display device.

The present invention according to the embodiment can provide a method of manufacturing an electrophoretic display device that can internalize the display solvent (display solvent) on the lower substrate.

The method of manufacturing an electrophoretic display device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may prevent a display solvent from overflowing to neighboring pixels when the display solvent is internalized on an array substrate.

An electrophoretic display device and a method of manufacturing the same according to an embodiment of the present invention provides a new type electrophoretic display device in which an electrophoretic layer is directly formed on a lower substrate, and fabricates a lower substrate and an upper substrate on which the electrophoretic layer is directly formed. Provide a method.

The method of manufacturing an electrophoretic display device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention simplifies the bonding process of the upper substrate and the lower substrate and can reduce the defects caused by the bonding.

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

1 is a view showing an electrophoretic display device according to the prior art.
2 is a cross-sectional view showing an electrophoretic display device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
3 and 4 are plan views illustrating a lower substrate (array substrate) of the electrophoretic display apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
5 to 10 is a view showing a manufacturing method of an electrophoretic display device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
11 is a view showing an electrophoretic display device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
12 to 14 are views showing a method of manufacturing an electrophoretic display device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
15 is a view showing an electrophoretic display device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
16 is a plan view and a cross-sectional view of the upper substrate of the electrophoretic display device according to the third embodiment of the present invention.
17 and 19 illustrate a method of manufacturing an electrophoretic display device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

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

In describing embodiments of the present invention, when a structure is described as being formed 'on or on top' and 'under or under' another structure, these descriptions may be used to describe these structures as well as when the structures are in contact with each other. It should be interpreted as including even if a third structure is interposed between them.

The present invention proposes an electrophoretic display device in which a display solvent including charged particles and a solvent is internalized on an array substrate, and a method of manufacturing the same. In the present exemplary embodiment, after the electrophoretic display device is completed, the array substrate may be located under the lower substrate. In addition, the upper substrate may be bonded to the array substrate to seal the unit display area.

The technical idea of the present invention described below may be applied to an electrophoretic display device in which a charged particle embedded in a lower substrate is colored in a black color and a white color to display a mono image.

In addition, the technical idea of the present invention can be applied to an electrophoretic display device in which the charged particles internalized on the lower substrate are colored in a black color and a white color, and a color filter is formed on the upper substrate to display a color image.

In addition, the technical idea of the present invention is that the charged particles are red (red), blue (blue), green (green), yellow (yellow), cyan (magenta), black (black) and white (white) The present invention may also be applied to an electrophoretic display device capable of realizing a color image by coloring with a color of.

2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an electrophoretic display device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 3 and 4 are plan views illustrating a lower substrate (array substrate) of an electrophoretic display device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. .

In the present embodiment, since the display solvent 160 is directly formed on the lower substrate 100, this is called an internalization type.

2 to 4, the electrophoretic display device according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a lower substrate 100 in which a display solvent is internalized on an array substrate, and an upper substrate 200 bonded to the lower substrate 100. ).

The lower substrate 100 uses a transparent first substrate 105 made of glass or plastic such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) as a base substrate. When the first substrate 105 is made of plastic, it can be flexible. By using the flexible first substrate 105, it is easy to handle and improve durability of the electrophoretic display device during manufacture and after completion.

However, the first substrate 105 is not limited to the transparent material. It is also possible for the first substrate 105 to use a metal substrate such as thin stainless steel. When a thin metallic substrate is used as the first substrate 105, flexibility may be improved to improve durability of the electrophoretic display device.

Although not shown in the drawing, an inorganic film such as a silicon nitride film or a silicon oxide film is thinly deposited on the first substrate 105. The inorganic film prevents moisture from penetrating into the array substrate.

Although not shown, a plurality of gate lines and a plurality of data lines are formed on the first substrate 105 to cross each other. A plurality of unit pixels is defined by the intersection of the plurality of gate lines and the plurality of data lines. A thin film transistor 110 (hereinafter referred to as TFT) is formed as a switching element for each unit pixel, and a pixel electrode 120 for controlling current through the TFT 110 is formed.

The gate line and the data line may be formed of a single layer made of silver (Ag), aluminum (Al), or an alloy thereof (Alloy) having a low resistivity. In addition, the gate line and the data line may be formed of a multilayer film further including a film made of chromium (Cr), titanium (Ti), or tantalum (Ta), molybdenum (Mo), molybdenum titanium (MoTi), and the like having excellent electrical characteristics. Can be.

The gate electrode of the TFT 110 is connected to the gate line, the source electrode is connected to the data line, and the drain electrode is connected to the pixel electrode 120. The pixel electrode 120 is formed for each unit pixel, and a data voltage is applied to the pixel electrode 120 by switching of the TFT 110.

The pixel electrode 120 is usually composed of a conductive metal layer, which may be either a transparent or opaque metal layer. In the electrophoretic display device of the present invention, since an external light source is reflected and recognized by a person, an opaque metal thin film having excellent reflection characteristics may be used as the pixel electrode 120.

The pixel electrode 120 may be formed of a material of copper, aluminum, and indium tin oxide (ITO). The pixel electrode 120 may be formed by further stacking nickel and / or gold on a material of copper, aluminum, and indium tin oxide (ITO).

The lower substrate 100 has partition walls 130 that define unit pixel regions. As shown in FIG. 3, the partition wall 130 is formed in a lattice shape on the lower substrate 100 to define a unit pixel area so that one lattice room becomes one unit pixel.

Pixel electrodes 120 are formed in unit pixel areas defined by the partition walls 130, respectively. As a result, the partition 130 surrounds the pixel electrode formed in the unit pixel area. The partition wall 130 forms a constant space (filling space) for each pixel, and the display solvent 160 (display solvent) is filled (filled) in the space.

In this case, the display solvent 160 includes a plurality of charged particles 150 and a solvent 155 that serves as a medium in which the charged particles 150 move.

An interlayer (not shown) may be further formed in the unit pixel area defined by the barrier 130 to prevent an interaction between the display solvent 160 and the barrier 130. The interlayer blocks electrical attraction between the partition wall 130 and the charged particles 150, so that the charged particles 150 are applied to the common electrode 210 formed on the upper substrate 200 and the voltage applied only to the pixel electrode 120. It can only be controlled by an applied voltage.

The partition wall 130 is formed to have a predetermined height and width (eg, a height of 10 um to 100 um and a width of 10 um to 20 um). The barrier rib 130 may be formed through a photo lithography or mold printing process.

The partition wall 130 is preferably made of a material that is not charged so that the charged particles 150 and the partition wall 130 are not coupled to each other by an electric force. In the embodiment of the present invention, the solvent 155 in which the charged particles 150 are mixed uses a nonpolar organic solvent. Accordingly, the partition 130 may be formed of a physical property such as the solvent 155, that is, a nonpolar polymer, an organic material, or an inorganic material.

The sealing material 140 is formed on the top of the partition wall 130 of the present invention. The partition 130 is arranged in a matrix form with its upper end having a width of about 10 μm to 20 μm, and a sealing material 140 is coated on the upper end of the partition 130.

The sealing member 140 functions as an adhesive when the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 are coupled to each other. In addition, the sealing material 140 isolates the display solvent 160 filled in the unit pixel from being mixed with each other. As a result, the sealing material 140 functions to seal the unit pixel area when the upper substrate 200 and the lower substrate 100 are coupled to each other.

The sealing material 140 may be made of a material having a repulsion with the solvent 155 of the display solvent 160 so that the display solvent 160 does not overflow to the neighboring unit pixel region.

The material of the sealing material 140 may be an organic or inorganic material having electrical insulation. For example, the sealing material 140 may be formed of a material containing a fluorine-based material or a fluorine-based polymer. Meanwhile, the sealing material 140 may be a material having electrical repulsion with the solvent 155, that is, the sealing material 140 and the solvent 155 may be materials that electrically reject each other.

The sealing material 140 is locally coated on the partition 130 by using a micro-contact printing method or a gravure roll printing method. Then, the upper substrate 200 is in contact with the sealing material 140 and then hardened so that the upper substrate 200 and the lower substrate 100 are combined.

Here, as a method of curing the sealing material 140, a method of irradiating light such as ultraviolet rays or a method of applying heat of a constant temperature to the sealing material 140 may be selected. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the sealing material 140 may be a photocurable material or a thermosetting material.

The display solvent 160 filled in the unit pixel region includes a plurality of charged particles 150 charged with a positive (+) or a negative (-) polarity and a solvent that acts as a medium for the charged particles 150 to move. 155.

The charged particles 150 may be black or white in the case of a mono type.

Meanwhile, in the case of the color type, the charged particles 150 are red, blue, green, yellow, cyan, magenta, black and white ( The color of white may optionally be colored.

The solvent 155 is halogenated solvents, saturated hydrocarbons, silicone oils, low molecular weight halogen-containing polymers, epoxides, vinyl Vinyl ethers, vinyl esters, aromatic hydrocarbons, toluene, naphthalene, liquid paraffinic or poly chlorotrifluoroethylene polymers This can be used.

Since the charged particles 150 are positively (+) or negative (−) charged, the solvent 155 is preferably non-polar so as not to be electrically applied with the charged particles 150.

The display solvent 160 including the charged particles 155 may include a die coating method, a casting method, a bar coating method, a slit coating method, and a dispensing method in a unit pixel area. It may be filled by a dispense method, a squeezing method, a screen printing method, an inkjet printing method, or a photo lithography method.

As described above, the electrophoretic display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a display solvent 160 including a plurality of charged particles 150 and a solvent 155 in a unit pixel area defined by the partition wall 130. It is filled.

Referring back to FIG. 2, the upper substrate 200 includes a second substrate 205 and a common electrode 210. In addition, the upper substrate 200 may further include an interlayer 220.

The second substrate 205 must be transparent to display the image. Accordingly, the second substrate 205 is formed of a glass of transparent material or a material of flexible transparent plastic. For example, a PET film can be used as the second substrate 205.

The common electrode 210 is coated on an inner side surface of the second substrate 205. The common electrode 210 is disposed to face the pixel electrode 120 and forms an electric field in each unit pixel region. The charged particles 155 in the display solvent 160 move in the direction of the upper substrate 200 or the lower substrate 100 by the electric field.

The common electrode 210 is formed of a conductive transparent material such as indium tin oxide (ITO) or indium zinc oxide (IZO). An interlayer 220 may be further formed on the common electrode 210.

The interlayer 220 functions to prevent the charged particles 150 from adhering to the common electrode 210 by electrical attraction and to seal the unit pixel region together with the sealing material 140. The interlayer 220 may be an organic or inorganic material having electrical insulation and is formed to a thickness of 0.1 μm to 40 μm under the common electrode 210.

In order to enhance the sealing function of the unit pixel region, the interlayer 220 may be formed of an organic material or an inorganic material that can be cured using ultraviolet (UV) and heat.

The interlayer 220 may be vacuum deposited (CVD, sputter), die coating, casting, bar coating, slit coating, or dispensing. It may be formed by a squeezing method, a screen printing method, or an inkjet printing method.

When the interlayer 220 is formed of an organic material, an organic material or a non-conductive transparent organic material that can be coated with a polymer, an acrylic UV curable resin, an organic self-assembling monolayer thin film (organic SAM layer) may be used as the material. It can be used as.

Meanwhile, when the interlayer 220 is formed of an inorganic material, silicon nitride (for example, SiN _x ), amorphous silicon (a-Si), silicon oxide (for example, SiO _x ), aluminum oxide (for example, , Al ₂ O ₃ ) or non-conductive transparent inorganic material may be used as the material.

In addition, a protective film (not shown) may be further attached to the upper substrate 200 to protect the second substrate 205 from the external environment.

When the electrophoretic display device is a mono type, the charged particles 150 may be composed of only black and white. On the other hand, when the electrophoretic display device is a color type, the charged particles 150 may be colored in red, green, blue or cyan, magenta, and yellow.

In the case of the color type, when the charged particles 150 of different colors are mixed in neighboring unit pixels, the quality of the color image may be degraded.

In the electrophoretic display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 are bonded to each other using the interlayer 220 and the sealing material 140. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the problem that the charged particles included in the neighboring unit pixels overflow with the neighboring unit pixels. In addition, the display solvent 160 internalized on the lower substrate 100 may be sealed through the interlayer 220 and the sealing material 140 to prevent air and moisture from penetrating into the active region.

Through this, it is possible to increase the display quality and manufacturing efficiency of the electrophoretic display device. In addition, the stability and driving reliability of the charged particles 150 can be improved.

In the above description, the sealing material 140 is formed on the partition wall 130 to bond the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200, but this is an example of the present invention. In another embodiment of the present invention, the sealing material 140 may be formed on the upper substrate 200 to bond the lower substrate 100 to the upper substrate 200.

For example, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the sealing material 140 may be formed on the upper substrate 200 in the form of a plan view of the matrix-type partition wall 130. After the sealing material 140 is formed on the upper substrate 200, the sealing material 140 and the partition wall 130 may be accurately aligned, and the upper substrate 200 and the lower substrate 100 may be bonded to each other. Details thereof will be described in detail in the third embodiment of the present invention with reference to FIGS. 15 to 19.

Hereinafter, a method of manufacturing an electrophoretic display device according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 10.

Referring to FIG. 5, a TFT 110, which is a switching element, is formed for each unit pixel on the first substrate 105. In this case, the first substrate 105 may be a glass substrate made of a transparent material, a plastic substrate having flexibility, or a metal substrate.

Although not shown in FIG. 5, an inorganic film of a silicon nitride film (SiNx) or a silicon oxide film (SiOx) may be first formed on the first substrate 105 before the TFT 110 is formed on the first substrate 105. . The inorganic film prevents moisture from penetrating into the active area. The formation process of the TFT 110 is carried out on the inorganic film.

The process of forming the TFT 110 includes forming a gate line and a gate electrode, forming a gate insulating layer on the gate line and the gate electrode, forming a semiconductor layer on the gate insulating layer, and data line on the semiconductor. And forming a data electrode, forming a passivation layer covering the semiconductor layer, the data line and the data electrode, and forming a contact hole exposing the data electrode on the passivation layer.

Thereafter, a conductive material such as copper, aluminum, or ITO is coated, and then a photolithography process and an etching process are performed to form the pixel electrode 120 for each unit pixel. The pixel electrode 120 is connected to the data electrode through the contact hole.

The pixel electrode 120 may be formed by further stacking nickel and / or gold on the above-described materials of copper, aluminum, and indium tin oxide (ITO).

Subsequently, referring to FIG. 6, the partition wall 130 is formed on the first substrate 105 on which the pixel electrode 120 is formed.

The process of forming the barrier rib 130 includes applying a photosensitive film on the first substrate 105 on which the pixel electrode is formed, and forming a barrier rib 130 by performing a photolithography process on the photosensitive film.

Specifically, the photolithography process includes forming a photosensitive film on the first substrate 105; Arranging a mask on the photosensitive organic film; Exposing through the mask; And developing the exposed photoresist. The partition 130 forming process may be a conventional photolithography process.

The photosensitive film may be a photosensitive organic film or an inorganic film. In addition, the mask may be a mask having a lattice-opening portion to allow light to pass through as shown in FIG. 3. That is, in the present embodiment, when the photoresist film is a negative photoresist film that is cured when exposed, the mask may include an opening portion corresponding to the partition wall.

As another method of forming the barrier rib 130, the barrier rib may be imprinted or mold printed.

The partition 130 is formed to surround each of the pixel electrodes 120 to define a unit pixel area. Therefore, the partition 130 forms a space having a predetermined size for each unit pixel. The display solvent 160 is filled in this space, that is, the unit pixel area.

The height and thickness of the partition wall 130 may vary according to the unit pixel size, but in the present embodiment, the partition wall 130 has a height of 40 μm and a width of the top of the partition wall 130 is about 10 μm to 20 μm. Here, the size of the unit pixel is 100um ~ 150um in the horizontal and vertical.

Subsequently, referring to FIG. 7, the sealing material is locally coated on the partition wall 130, and then cured through ultraviolet rays to form the sealing material 140. The sealing material 140 is for bonding the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 and sealing the display solvent 160.

Here, the sealing material 140 may be formed of a material having a repulsion with the solvent 155 of the display solvent 160 so that the display solvent 160 does not overflow with neighboring pixels.

The sealing material 140 is formed by locally coating a sealing material on the partition 130 using a micro-contact printing method or a gravure roll printing method, and then curing the sealing material. can do.

Here, as another example of a method of coating the sealing material on the partition wall 130, a roll printing method, a die coating method, a casting method, a bar coating method, a slit A coating method, a dispensing method, a squeezing method, a screen printing method, an inkjet printing method, or a photo lithography method may be selectively used. .

Subsequently, referring to FIG. 8, the display solvent 160 is filled in the filling space defined by the partition wall 130. Here, the display solvent 160 is composed of a plurality of charged particles 150 charged with a positive (+) or negative (-) polarity and a solvent 155 including a binder.

The display solvent 160 may include a die coating method, a casting method, a bar coating method, a slit coating method, a dispensing method, a squeezing method, a screen The filling space defined by the partition wall 130 may be filled through a screen printing method, an inkjet printing method, or a photo lithography method.

The charged particles 150 may have red, blue, green, yellow, cyan, magenta, black and white colors. Can be colored. In FIG. 8, some of the charged particles 150 are colored in a black color, and others are colored in a white color.

The solvent 155 is halogenated solvents, saturated hydrocarbons, silicone oils, low molecular weight halogen-containing polymers, epoxides, vinyl Vinyl ethers, vinyl esters, aromatic hydrocarbons, toluene, naphthalene, liquid paraffinic or poly chlorotrifluoroethylene polymers This can be used.

When the electrophoretic display device displays a full color, the charged particles 150 are colored in a color corresponding to the color to be displayed by each cell. In this case, the filling process of the display solvent 160 may be performed for each color of the colored charged particles 150.

As such, the display solvent 160 including the plurality of charged particles 150 and the solvent 155 is filled in the pixel region defined by the partition wall 130, and the electrophoretic layer is internalized on the lower substrate 100. .

The sealing material 140 may be formed on the partition 130 with a material having a repulsive force with the solvent 155 of the display solvent 160 to prevent the display solvent 160 from overflowing into the filling space of another pixel. In addition, the sealing material 140 helps the bonding of the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 to facilitate the sealing of the display solvent 160.

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

A conductive transparent material such as indium tin oxide (ITO) or indium zinc oxide (IZO) on the second substrate 205 made of transparent glass or flexible transparent plastic. The common electrode 210 is formed.

The common electrode 210 corresponds to the pixel electrode 120 and supplies a common voltage to each pixel area for driving the charged particles 150.

Thereafter, the interlayer 220 is formed of an organic or inorganic material having electrical insulation on the common electrode 210. In this case, since the interlayer 220 is formed on the surface on which the image is displayed, the interlayer 220 is formed to be transparent.

The interlayer 220 is for sealing the display solvent 160 that is internalized on the lower substrate 100. In addition, the interlayer 220 prevents the charged particles 150 from directly contacting the common electrode 210.

By using the sealing material 140 formed on the interlayer 220 and the partition 130 of the lower substrate 100 to allow the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 to be smoothly joined, the lower substrate The display solvent 160 internalized in the 100 is sealed.

The interlayer 220 may be vacuum deposited (CVD, sputter), die coating, casting, bar coating, slit coating, or dispensing. It may be formed by a squeezing method, a screen printing method, or an inkjet printing method.

The interlayer 220 is transparently formed of an insulating organic or inorganic that can be cured by using ultraviolet (UV) light and heat, and has a thickness of 0.1 μm to 40 μm.

When the interlayer 220 is formed of an organic material, an organic material or a non-conductive transparent organic material that can be coated with a polymer, an acrylic UV curable resin, an organic self-assembling monolayer thin film (organic SAM layer) may be used as the material. It can be used as.

Meanwhile, when the interlayer 220 is formed of an inorganic material, silicon nitride (for example, SiN _x ), amorphous silicon (a-Si), silicon oxide (for example, SiO _x ), aluminum oxide (for example, , Al ₂ O ₃ ) or non-conductive transparent inorganic material may be used as the material.

When the electrophoretic display device displays a full color image, colored charged particles may be filled to match the color displayed by the pixel. When charged particles filled in red and filled in red pixels overflow into neighboring blue or green pixels, color images may not be realized.

In the electrophoretic display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 are formed using the sealing material 140 formed on the barrier layer 130 of the interlayer 220 and the lower substrate 100. ) To ensure smooth bonding. In addition, it is possible to prevent the penetration of air and moisture by sealing the display solvent 160 that is internalized on the lower substrate 100.

Through this, it is possible to increase the display quality manufacturing efficiency of the electrophoretic display device. In addition, the stability and driving reliability of the charged particles 150 internalized on the lower substrate 100 may be improved.

Referring to FIG. 10, in the method of manufacturing the electrophoretic display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the lower substrate 100 may be manufactured using a roll to roll process, and the upper substrate 200 may be manufactured. Manufacturing, sealing of the display solvent 160 internalized on the lower substrate 100, and bonding of the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 may be performed in a continuous process.

After the partition 130 is formed on the lower substrate 100, the sealing material 142 is locally coated on the partition 130 using a roll printing method.

Thereafter, the dispensing equipment 152 is used to fill the display solvent 160 including the charged particles 150 and the solvent 155 in the filling space defined by the partition wall 130.

With the manufacture of the lower substrate 100, an interlayer 220 is formed by applying a sealing material on the common electrode 210 of the upper substrate 200.

Thereafter, the barrier rib 130 coated with the sealing material and the upper substrate 200 coated with the interlayer 220 are arranged to face each other, and the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 are bonded by pressing through a roller.

In this case, the sealing material 140 is formed by curing ultraviolet light (UV) on the partition 130 and curing the sealing material 142 coated on the partition 130. That is, the display solvent 160 internalized on the lower substrate 100 is sealed through the sealing material 140 formed on the partition wall 130 and the interlayer 220 formed on the upper substrate 200. In this case, the bonding process of the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 may further use an annealing process of applying a predetermined temperature together with a pressing process of applying a predetermined pressure.

The electrophoretic display device in which the display solvent 160 is internalized on the lower substrate 100 may be manufactured by performing the above-described manufacturing process.

In the above description, the sealing material 140 is formed on the partition wall 130 to be bonded to the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200, but this is an example of the present invention. In another embodiment of the present invention, the sealing material 140 may be formed on the upper substrate 200 to bond the lower substrate 100 to the upper substrate 200.

11 is a view showing an electrophoretic display device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In the description of the electrophoretic display device according to the second embodiment of the present invention, description of the same contents as those of the first embodiment will be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 11, in the electrophoretic display device according to the second embodiment of the present invention, in order to display a full color image, the charged particles 150 may be red, blue, green, or black. Black and white colors are optionally colored. That is, one unit pixel may be configured by four sub color pixels (mono pixel, red pixel, green pixel, and blue pixel) to display a full color image.

When the sealing material 140 fills the display solvent 160 in the pixel area, the display solvent 160 prevents the display solvent 160 from overflowing to contaminate the upper end of the barrier 130 or overflowing to neighboring pixels.

In addition, the sealing material 140 functions as a sealing layer so that the bonding between the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 and the sealing of the display solvent 160 filled in the lower substrate 100 are performed smoothly. Have

The sealing material 140 may be formed of a material having a property of rejecting the solvent 155 of the display solvent 160 so that the display solvent 160 does not overflow with neighboring pixels.

For example, the solvent 155 of the display solvent 160 of the present invention may use a nonpolar organic solvent to facilitate the movement of the charged particles 150. In this case, the sealing material 140 may be composed of a nonpolar organic solvent and a charged (or charged) hydrophilic material having a property of rejecting each other.

Meanwhile, the sealing material 140 may be formed of a material having adhesive properties for adhesion between the upper substrate 200 and the lower substrate 100, as well as having properties of rejecting the solvent of the display solvent 160. .

Since the sealing material 140 has a property of rejecting the display solvent 160 from each other, the display solvent 160 may be prevented from overflowing to the upper side of the partition 130. At this time, the material of the sealing material 140 is used an organic or inorganic material having an electrically insulating.

For example, the fluorine-based material or the material containing the fluorine-based polymer is coated on the partition 130 by plasma, contact printing, dipping, or gravure roll printing. do. Subsequently, the sealing material 140 may be formed by curing the coated fluorine-based material or the material including the fluorine-based polymer.

In FIG. 11, although the interlayer 220 is illustrated and described as being formed on the upper substrate 200, this represents one of various embodiments of the present disclosure.

As another embodiment of the present invention, after forming the interlayer 220 directly on the sealing material 140 of the lower substrate 100, the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 may be bonded.

Meanwhile, since the sealing material 140 formed on the lower substrate 100 has a function of a sealing layer, the application of the interlayer 220 to the upper substrate 200 may be selectively performed. When the interlayer 220 is not included in the upper substrate 200, the thickness of the electrophoretic display device may be reduced.

Hereinafter, a method of manufacturing an electrophoretic display device according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 to 14.

Referring to FIG. 12, the sealing material 140 is made of a material having a property of rejecting the solvent 155 of the display solvent 160 on the partition 130 so that the display solvent 160 does not overflow with neighboring pixels in the manufacturing process. To form.

On the other hand, the sealing material 140 has a property of rejecting each other with the solvent of the display solvent 160, and also for bonding the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 and sealing the display solvent 160. It may also be formed of a sealant material.

In detail, an organic or inorganic material having electrical insulation is coated on the partition 130. Thereafter, the coated organic or inorganic material is cured to form the sealing material 140.

As an example, the film 170 coated with the sealing material 172 including the fluorine-based material or the fluorine-based polymer is aligned on the partition 130. Thereafter, the sealing material 172 is locally coated on the partition wall 130 by contact printing. Thereafter, the sealing material 172 is cured to form the sealing material 140.

In addition to a contact printing method, a sealing material 172 including a fluorine-based material or a fluorine-based polymer on the partition 130 by a plasma method, a dipping method, or a gravure roll printing method. Can be coated. Thereafter, the coated sealing material 172 may be cured to form the sealing material 140.

When the display solvent 160 is filled in the pixel area, the sealing material 140 prevents the display solvent 160 from overflowing to contaminate the upper end of the partition 130 or overflowing to neighboring pixels. In addition, the sealing material 140 allows the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 to be bonded and the sealing of the display solvent 160 is smoothly performed.

Subsequently, referring to FIG. 13, the display solvent 160 is filled in each unit pixel region defined by the partition wall 130.

As an example, the display solvent 160 may be filled in each pixel area by a dispensing method using a dispensing device.

As another example, in addition to the dispensing method, the die coating method, casting method, bar coating method, slit coating method, squeezing method, screen printing method The display solvent 160 may be filled in the pixel area using a screen printing method, an inkjet printing method, or a photo lithography method.

When the electrophoretic display device displays a full color, the charged particles 150 are colored in a color corresponding to the color to be displayed by each cell. In this case, the filling process of the display solvent 160 may be sequentially performed for each color of the colored charged particles 150.

In this case, the display solvent 160 may be filled for each color pixel by using a micro needle injection device.

Meanwhile, the display solvent 160 may be filled for each color pixel by using a screen printing method using a mask.

As an example, as shown in FIG. 13A, a display solvent containing charged particles colored in black and white colors is filled in corresponding sub-pixels.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 13B, a display solvent including charged particles colored in red is filled in the corresponding sub-pixels.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 13C, a display solvent containing charged particles colored in a green color is filled in the corresponding sub pixels.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 13D, a display solvent including charged particles colored in blue color is filled in the corresponding sub-pixels.

When the electrophoretic display device is a color type, four sub-pixels into which the red, green, blue, and black-white charged particles 150 are injected may constitute one unit pixel.

On the other hand, when the electrophoretic display device is a mono type, since the charged particles 150 filled in all the pixels are colored in black and white colors, all of the unit pixels may simultaneously display display solvents.

As such, the display solvent 160 may be filled in the unit pixel area defined by the partition wall 130 to internalize the electrophoretic layer on the lower substrate 100.

In this case, the sealing material 140 is formed of a material having a property of rejecting the display solvent 160 with each other on the partition 130, thereby preventing the display solvent 160 from overflowing with neighboring pixels. In addition, the display solvent 160 may be accurately filled in the filling space.

Although not shown in the drawing, after the filling of the display solvent 160 is completed, a portion of the solvent 155 may be removed by using a spin-coating method to secure the uniformity of the display solvent 160.

In this case, a part of the solvent 155 may be removed so that the amount of the filled display solvent 160 is 80% of the filling space of the pixel area.

Subsequently, referring to FIG. 14, after the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 are aligned, the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 are applied by applying a predetermined pressure, such as a roll to roll method. To be bonded. In this case, the bonding process of the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 may further use a heating process of applying a predetermined temperature together with a pressing process of applying a predetermined pressure.

Using the sealing material 140 formed on the interlayer 220 and the partition 130 of the lower substrate 100, the bonding of the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 is smoothly connected, The display solvent internalized on the lower substrate 100 is sealed.

In addition, the display solvent 160, which is internalized on the lower substrate 100, may be sealed through the interlayer 220 to prevent penetration of air and moisture into the pixel area.

The electrophoretic display device manufactured according to the present invention includes a display solvent 160 filled in a pixel region by an electric field formed by a data voltage applied to the plurality of pixel electrodes 120 and a common voltage applied to the common electrode 210. The charged particles 150 may move in the solvent 155 to realize a mono image and a color image.

The electrophoretic display device manufactured through the present invention can increase the display quality and manufacturing efficiency of the electrophoretic display device. In addition, the stability and driving reliability of the charged particles internalized on the lower substrate 100 may be improved.

Meanwhile, in the above description, the interlayer 220 is illustrated and described as being formed on the upper substrate 200. However, this shows one of various embodiments of the present invention. As another embodiment of the present invention, after forming the interlayer 220 directly on the sealing material 140 of the lower substrate 100, the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 may be bonded.

15 is a diagram illustrating an electrophoretic display device according to a third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 16 is a plan view and a cross-sectional view of an upper substrate of the electrophoretic display device according to a third embodiment of the present invention. In the description of the electrophoretic display device according to the third embodiment of the present invention, the same contents as those of the first and second embodiments described above may be omitted.

15 and 16, an electrophoretic display apparatus according to a third exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a lower substrate 100 in which a display solvent is internalized on an array substrate, and an upper substrate 200 bonded to the lower substrate 100. ).

Although not shown in the figure, a protective film (not shown) may be further attached to the upper substrate 200 to protect the second substrate 205 from the external environment.

The lower substrate 100 uses a transparent first substrate 105 made of glass or plastic such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) as a base substrate. When the first substrate 105 is made of plastic, it can be flexible.

Meanwhile, the first substrate 105 may also use a metal substrate such as thin stainless steel. When a thin metallic substrate is used as the first substrate 105, flexibility may be improved to improve durability of the electrophoretic display device.

Although not shown, a plurality of gate lines and a plurality of data lines are formed on the first substrate 105 to cross each other. A plurality of unit pixels is defined by the intersection of the plurality of gate lines and the plurality of data lines. A TFT 110 is formed as a switching element for each unit pixel, and a pixel electrode 120 for controlling current through the TFT 110 is formed.

The gate electrode of the TFT 110 is connected to the gate line, the source electrode is connected to the data line, and the drain electrode is connected to the pixel electrode 120. The pixel electrode 120 is formed for each unit pixel, and a data voltage is applied to the pixel electrode 120 by switching of the TFT 110.

The pixel electrode 120 is usually composed of a conductive metal layer, which may be either a transparent or opaque metal layer. In the electrophoretic display device of the present invention, since an external light source is reflected and recognized by a person, an opaque metal thin film having excellent reflection characteristics may be used as the pixel electrode 120.

The lower substrate 100 is formed with a partition wall 130 defining a unit pixel area. The partition wall 130 is formed in a lattice shape on the lower substrate 100 to define a unit pixel area so that one lattice room becomes one unit pixel.

Pixel electrodes 120 are formed in unit pixel areas defined by the partition walls 130, respectively. As a result, the partition 130 surrounds the pixel electrode formed in the unit pixel area. The partition wall 130 forms a constant space (fill space) for each pixel, and the display solvent 160 is filled (filled) in the space.

The partition wall 130 is formed to have a predetermined height and width (eg, a height of 10 um to 100 um and a width of 10 um to 20 um). The barrier rib 130 may be formed through a photo lithography or mold printing process.

The partition 130 may be formed of a physical property such as the solvent 155, that is, a nonpolar polymer, an organic material, or an inorganic material.

The display solvent 160 filled in the unit pixel region includes a plurality of charged particles 150 charged with a positive (+) or a negative (-) polarity and a solvent that acts as a medium for the charged particles 150 to move. 155.

In the case of the mono type, the charged particles 150 may be black or white.

Although not shown in the drawing, in the case of the color type, the charged particles 150 are red, blue, green, yellow, cyan, magenta, and black. ) And white color may be selectively colored.

Since the charged particles 150 are positively (+) or negative (−) charged, the solvent 155 is preferably non-polar so as not to be electrically applied with the charged particles 150.

The solvent 155 is halogenated solvents, saturated hydrocarbons, silicone oils, low molecular weight halogen-containing polymers, epoxides, vinyl Vinyl ethers, vinyl esters, aromatic hydrocarbons, toluene, naphthalene, liquid paraffinic or poly chlorotrifluoroethylene polymers This can be used.

As described above, the electrophoretic display device according to the third embodiment of the present invention includes a display solvent 160 including a plurality of charged particles 150 and a solvent 155 in a unit pixel area defined by the partition wall 130. It is filled.

The upper substrate 200 includes a second substrate 205, a common electrode 210, a sealing pattern 230, and a sealing material 240.

The second substrate 205 must be transparent to display the image. Accordingly, the second substrate 205 is formed of a glass of transparent material or a material of flexible transparent plastic. For example, a PET film can be used as the second substrate 205.

The common electrode 210 is coated on an inner side surface of the second substrate 205. The common electrode 210 is disposed to face the pixel electrode 120 and forms an electric field in each unit pixel region. The charged particles 155 in the display solvent 160 move in the direction of the upper substrate 200 or the lower substrate 100 by the electric field. The common electrode 210 is formed of a conductive transparent material such as indium tin oxide (ITO) or indium zinc oxide (IZO).

In the electrophoretic display device according to the third exemplary embodiment, the sealing pattern 230 is disposed below the common electrode 210 of the upper substrate 200 to enhance the sealing function of the unit pixel area. ) Are formed in a matrix form, and the sealing material 240 is formed in a space between the sealing patterns 230 formed in the matrix form.

The sealing pattern 230 is formed to have the same shape and size as the unit pixel area defined by the active area formed on the lower substrate 100, that is, the partition 130. The sealing patterns 230 are formed in a square pattern with a length of 100 μm to 150 μm in length and width (W1), and a height H1 of 1 μm to 5 μm.

Here, the sealing pattern 230 is formed of the same material as the partition wall 130 formed on the lower substrate 100, and is formed of a transparent material because it is located on the surface on which the image is displayed.

The sealing material 240 formed in the space between the sealing patterns 230 may be formed of a sealing material having a viscosity of 15,000 cps to 30,000 cps.

Here, the sealing material 240 is the same shape as the partition wall 130, is formed to have a lattice shape, the width (W2) is formed of 10um ~ 20um, the height (H2) is formed of 1um ~ 3um.

The sealing member 240 functions as an adhesive when the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 are coupled to each other. In addition, the sealing material 240 isolates the display solvent 160 filled in the unit pixel from being mixed with each other. As a result, the sealing material 240 functions to seal the unit pixel area when the upper substrate 200 and the lower substrate 100 are coupled to each other.

The sealing material 240 may be made of a material having a repulsion with the solvent 155 of the display solvent 160 such that the display solvent 160 does not overflow to a neighboring unit pixel area.

The material of the sealing material 240 may be an organic or inorganic material having electrical insulation. For example, the sealing material 240 may be formed of a material containing a fluorine-based material or a fluorine-based polymer. Meanwhile, the sealing material 240 may be a material having electrical repulsion with the solvent 155, that is, the sealing material 240 and the solvent 155 may be materials that electrically reject each other.

The sealing material 240 is locally coated on the partition 130 by using a micro-contact printing method or a gravure roll printing method. Then, the upper substrate 200 is in contact with the sealing material 240 and then hardened so that the upper substrate 200 and the lower substrate 100 are combined.

Here, as a method of curing the sealing material 240, a method of irradiating light such as ultraviolet rays or applying a heat of a constant temperature to the sealing material 240 may be selected. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the sealing material 240 may be formed of a photocurable material or a thermosetting sealing material.

After applying the sealing material to the entire surface of the upper substrate 200, when the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 is bonded, a defect that the sealing material penetrates into the pixel area may occur.

When the electrophoretic display device is a mono type, the charged particles 150 may be composed of only black and white. On the other hand, when the electrophoretic display device is a color type, the charged particles 150 may be colored in red, green, blue or cyan, magenta, and yellow.

In the case of the color type, when the charged particles 150 of different colors are mixed in neighboring unit pixels, the quality of the color image may be degraded.

In the electrophoretic display device according to the third exemplary embodiment, the sealing patterns 230 corresponding to the pixel areas are formed on the lower surface of the upper substrate 200, and the space between the sealing patterns 230, that is, the lower substrate ( The sealing material 240 may be formed in a portion corresponding to the partition wall 130 of the 100 to prevent the sealing material from penetrating into the pixel area when the two substrates 100 and 200 are bonded to each other.

In addition, by sealing the display solvent 160 internalized on the lower substrate 100 through the sealing pattern 230 and the sealing material 240, air and moisture may be prevented from penetrating into the active region.

In addition, when the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 are bonded together, the pixel area may be sealed with the sealing patterns 230 to prevent the display solvent 160 from overflowing to neighboring pixels.

In addition, the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 may be bonded together with the sealing material 240 to simplify the bonding process, and may reduce defects due to the bonding.

Hereinafter, a method of manufacturing an electrophoretic display device according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 17 to 19.

Referring to FIG. 17A, a TFT 110, which is a switching element, is formed for each unit pixel on the first substrate 105. In this case, the first substrate 105 may be a glass substrate made of a transparent material, a plastic substrate having flexibility, or a metal substrate.

Thereafter, a partition wall 130 is formed on the first substrate 105 on which the pixel electrode 120 is formed.

The process of forming the partition wall 130 includes applying a photoresist film on the first substrate 105 on which the pixel electrode is formed, and performing a photolithography process on the photoresist film to form the partition wall 130.

Specifically, the photolithography process includes forming a photosensitive film on the first substrate 105; Arranging a mask on the photosensitive organic film; Exposing through the mask; And developing the exposed photoresist. The partition 130 forming process may be a conventional photolithography process.

The photosensitive film may be a photosensitive organic film or an inorganic film. In addition, the mask may be a mask having a lattice-opening portion to allow light to pass through when viewed in plan view. That is, when the photoresist film is a negative photoresist film that is cured when exposed, the mask may include an opening portion corresponding to the partition wall.

As another method of forming the barrier rib 130, the barrier rib may be imprinted or mold printed.

Subsequently, referring to FIG. 17B, the partition wall 130 is formed to surround each of the pixel electrodes 120 to define a unit pixel area. Therefore, the partition 130 forms a space having a predetermined size for each unit pixel.

The partition wall may be formed to have a height of 10um to 100um and a width of 10um to 20um. The height and thickness of the partition wall may vary according to the size of the unit pixel. However, in the present embodiment, the partition wall 130 has a height of 40 μm, and a width of the top of the partition wall 130 is about 10 μm to 20 μm, and the size of the unit pixel is It is 100um ~ 150um in width and length.

The display solvent 160 is filled in the filling space defined by the partition 130. Here, the display solvent 160 is composed of a plurality of charged particles 150 charged with a positive (+) or negative (-) polarity and a solvent 155 including a binder.

The display solvent 160 may include a die coating method, a casting method, a bar coating method, a slit coating method, a dispensing method, a squeezing method, a screen The filling space defined by the partition wall 130 may be filled through a screen printing method, an inkjet printing method, or a photo lithography method.

The charged particles 150 may have red, blue, green, yellow, cyan, magenta, black and white colors. Can be colored. In FIG. 8, some of the charged particles 150 are colored in a black color, and others are colored in a white color.

The solvent 155 is halogenated solvents, saturated hydrocarbons, silicone oils, low molecular weight halogen-containing polymers, epoxides, vinyl Vinyl ethers, vinyl esters, aromatic hydrocarbons, toluene, naphthalene, liquid paraffinic or poly chlorotrifluoroethylene polymers This can be used.

When the electrophoretic display device displays a full color, the charged particles 150 are colored in a color corresponding to the color to be displayed by each cell. In this case, the filling process of the display solvent 160 may be performed for each color of the colored charged particles 150.

As such, the display solvent 160 including the plurality of charged particles 150 and the solvent 155 is filled in the pixel region defined by the partition wall 130, and the electrophoretic layer is internalized on the lower substrate 100. .

The manufacturing process of the upper substrate 200 may be performed along with the manufacturing process of the lower substrate 100.

A conductive transparent material such as indium tin oxide (ITO) or indium zinc oxide (IZO) on the second substrate 205 made of transparent glass or flexible transparent plastic. The common electrode 210 is formed. The common electrode 210 corresponds to the pixel electrode 120 and supplies a common voltage to each pixel area for driving the charged particles 150.

Subsequently, referring to FIG. 18A, the sealing patterns 230 are formed of an organic or inorganic material having electrical insulation on the common electrode 210. The sealing patterns 230 are formed in a matrix form.

Here, the sealing pattern 230 may be formed by depositing an organic material or an inorganic material on the lower portion of the common electrode 210 and then patterning the same using a photo lithography method. The sealing pattern 230 may be formed using an imprinting method or a mold printing method.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 18B, after the sealing material is applied to the space 232 between the sealing patterns 230 formed in the matrix form, the sealing material is cured to form the sealing material 240. In this case, the sealing material may be applied to the space 232 between the sealing patterns 230 by using a micro-contact printing method or a gravure roll printing method.

Then, the upper substrate 200 is in contact with the sealing material 240 and then hardened so that the upper substrate 200 and the lower substrate 100 are combined.

Here, as a method of curing the sealing material 240, a method of irradiating light such as ultraviolet rays or applying a heat of a constant temperature to the sealing material 240 may be selected. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the sealing material 240 may be formed of a photocurable material or a thermosetting sealing material.

In the process of bonding the lower substrate 110 and the upper substrate 200, the sealing material is cured by heating or light irradiation to form a sealing material 240, and as the sealing material is cured, the lower substrate 110 and the upper substrate 200 ) Will be combined.

The sealing patterns 230 are formed to have the same shape and size as the active region formed on the lower substrate 100, that is, the unit pixel region defined by the barrier 130. The sealing patterns 230 are formed in a square pattern with a length of 100 μm to 150 μm in length and width (W1), and a height H1 of 1 μm to 5 μm.

Here, the sealing pattern 230 is formed of the same material as the partition wall 130 formed on the lower substrate 100, and is formed of a transparent material because it is located on the surface on which the image is displayed.

The sealing material 240 formed in the space between the sealing patterns 230 may be formed of a sealing material having a viscosity of 15,000 cps to 30,000 cps.

Here, the sealing material 240 is the same shape as the partition wall 130, is formed to have a lattice shape, the width (W2) is formed of 10um ~ 20um, the height (H2) is formed of 1um ~ 3um.

The sealing member 240 functions as an adhesive when the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 are coupled to each other. In addition, the sealing material 240 isolates the display solvent 160 filled in the unit pixel from being mixed with each other. As a result, the sealing material 240 functions to seal the unit pixel area when the upper substrate 200 and the lower substrate 100 are coupled to each other.

The sealing material 240 may be made of a material having a repulsion with the solvent 155 of the display solvent 160 such that the display solvent 160 does not overflow to a neighboring unit pixel area.

The material of the sealing material 240 may be an organic or inorganic material having electrical insulation. For example, the sealing material 240 may be formed of a material containing a fluorine-based material or a fluorine-based polymer. Meanwhile, the sealing material 240 may be a material having electrical repulsion with the solvent 155, that is, the sealing material 240 and the solvent 155 may be materials that electrically reject each other. In the manufacturing method of the electrophoretic display device according to the third embodiment of the present invention, the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 are smoothly bonded using the sealing pattern 230 and the sealing material 240. In addition, it is possible to prevent the penetration of air and moisture by sealing the display solvent 160 that is internalized on the lower substrate 100.

Through this, it is possible to increase the display quality and manufacturing efficiency of the electrophoretic display device. In addition, the stability and driving reliability of the charged particles 150 internalized on the lower substrate 100 may be improved.

The manufacturing method of the electrophoretic display device according to the embodiments of the present invention described above has an advantage that the manufacturing infrastructure (infra) used in the manufacturing process of the existing liquid crystal display device can be applied.

Those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains will understand that the above-described present invention can be implemented in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features.

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

100: lower substrate 105: first substrate
110: thin film transistor 120: pixel electrode
130: partition 140: sealing material
150: charged particle 155: solvent
160: display solvent 170: film
172: sealing material 200: upper substrate
205: second substrate 210: common electrode
220: interlayer 230: sealing pattern
240: sealing material

Claims (10)

Barrier ribs formed on the first substrate to define a plurality of unit pixel regions;
A display solvent filled with the unit pixel region including a plurality of charged particles and a solvent;
A second substrate having a common electrode formed thereon;
Sealing patterns formed under the common electrode to seal the unit pixel area; And
And a sealing material formed in a space between the sealing patterns to bond the first and second substrates together. The method of claim 1,
The sealing pattern is formed in the same pattern as the unit pixel region, the electrophoretic display device characterized in that the horizontal and vertical is formed of 100um ~ 150um, the height is 1um ~ 5um. The method of claim 1,
Sealing material is formed in the same pattern as the partition, electrophoretic display device characterized in that the width is 10um ~ 20um, the height is 1um ~ 3um. The method of claim 1,
The partition wall and the sealing pattern are electrophoretic display device, characterized in that formed of a non-polar organic material or non-polar inorganic material. The method of claim 1,
The display solvent is composed of a plurality of charged particles and a solvent,
The sealing material is an electrophoretic display device, characterized in that formed of a sealing material having a repulsive force with the solvent. The method of claim 5, wherein
The charged particle is an electrophoretic display device, characterized in that it has any one color selected from red, blue, green, yellow, cyan, magenta, black and white. The method of claim 5, wherein
The solvent may be halogenated solvents, saturated hydrocarbons, silicone oils, low molecular weight halogen-containing polymers, epoxides, vinyl ethers ( Contains vinyl ethers, vinyl esters, aromatic hydrocarbons, toluene, naphthalene, liquid paraffinic liquids or poly chlorotrifluoroethylene polymers Electrophoretic display device, characterized in that. Forming a partition wall defining a plurality of unit pixel areas on the first substrate; Filling a plurality of unit pixel areas with a display solvent including a plurality of charged particles and a solvent;
Forming a common electrode on a second substrate corresponding to the first substrate;
Forming sealing patterns under the common electrode to seal the unit pixel area; And
And forming a sealing material in the space between the sealing patterns to bond the first substrate and the second substrate together. The method of claim 8,
In the forming of the sealing material,
Applying a sealing material to the spaces between the sealing patterns;
Aligning the first substrate and the second substrate to face each other;
And performing a heating process or a light irradiation process to cure the sealing material. The method of claim 8,
Horizontal and vertical length of the sealing pattern is formed to have a height of 100um ~ 150um, 1um ~ 5um,
Method for producing an electrophoretic display device characterized in that the sealing material is formed to have a width of 10um ~ 20um and a height of 1um ~ 3um.

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