WO2015024333A1

WO2015024333A1 - Sealant coating device and method, and method for achieving alignment

Info

Publication number: WO2015024333A1
Application number: PCT/CN2013/089300
Authority: WO
Inventors: 肖昂
Original assignee: 北京京东方光电科技有限公司
Priority date: 2013-08-21
Filing date: 2013-12-12
Publication date: 2015-02-26
Also published as: CN104423101A

Abstract

A sealant coating device, comprising: a nozzle (9) which is arranged on a connecting frame (10) and is used for coating a sealant; and an ultraviolet probe (19) which is used for emitting ultraviolet rays, wherein the ultraviolet probe (19) points at the position where the sealant output from the nozzle (9) can be immediately irradiated. Also disclosed are a sealant coating method and a method for achieving alignment. When the sealant coating device and method and the method for achieving alignment are applied, a baffle for shielding liquid crystals is not needed, and there is no need to fully irradiate an entire substrate, thereby saving costs; after the alignment process is completed, there is no need to conduct the ultraviolet curing process specially, thereby saving the process time; and after the alignment is completed, there is no need to turn the substrate, thereby improving the contraposition accuracy.

Description

Sealing frame coating device, method and method for realizing the same

Embodiments of the present invention relate to the field of liquid crystal display technologies, and in particular, to a frame sealant coating device, a method, and a method for implementing the same. Background technique

With the increasing demand for thin film liquid crystal displays (TFT-LCDs), the fabrication technology of TFT-LCD panels is also progressing. The box-forming process is a very important step in the manufacturing process of the liquid crystal panel. Now the mainstream technology adopts the liquid crystal dropping (ODF) process. As shown in Fig. 1, the liquid crystal 2 is first dropped on the color film (CF) substrate 3, and in the array. The sealant 4 is coated on the substrate 1, and then the color filter substrate 3 and the array substrate 1 are fed into a box-to-box apparatus for a box-to-box process. Since the color filter substrate 3 is designed with a black matrix in the sealant-coated region, it is usually necessary to invert the substrate of the cartridge to ensure ultraviolet rays are irradiated from the array substrate 1 side before the photocuring process. In order to prevent the liquid crystal 2 from being irradiated with ultraviolet rays during the photocuring process, it is necessary to provide the baffle 5 between the ultraviolet light source and the array substrate 1. After the photocuring process is completed, the color film substrate 3 and the array substrate 1 adhered together are sent to a heating furnace to complete the curing process of the sealant 4, thereby completing the entire ODF process.

The above operations have the following disadvantages:

1. Because of the design requirements, there are some non-transparent metal wires and metal blocks in the sealant coating area of the array substrate 1. These opaque materials cause blocking of the sealant at the time of ultraviolet curing, resulting in a reaction rate of the corresponding sealant. Lower

2. After the box is turned over, the array substrate 1 is turned upwards. At this time, the sealant 4 is completely uncured, and the vibration caused by the flipping causes sliding between the color filter substrate 3 and the array substrate 1, affecting product quality, and increasing Process time

3. The baffle 5 is required to prevent the liquid crystal 2 from being irradiated with ultraviolet rays during ultraviolet curing, and the irradiation area is the entire array substrate, resulting in waste of energy. Summary of the invention

In view of the above, the present invention provides a frame sealant coating device, a method, and a method for implementing the same. To reduce process time and improve product quality.

The technical solution of the present invention is implemented as follows:

A sealant coating device, comprising: a nozzle disposed on a connecting frame for coating a sealant and an ultraviolet probe for emitting ultraviolet rays; the ultraviolet probe pointing to a sealant outputted from the nozzle The location to be illuminated immediately.

The ultraviolet probe is directed to the position at which the nozzle outputs the sealant.

The nozzle and the ultraviolet probe are fixed on the connecting frame.

The ultraviolet probe is directed to a position at which the sealant that has been output and applied to the substrate is irradiated by the movement of the nozzle.

The ultraviolet probe is movably disposed on the connecting frame.

The ultraviolet light emitted by the ultraviolet probe forms a circular ultraviolet spot on the substrate to be coated with the sealant, and has a diameter of 8 to 10 mm; the center of the ultraviolet spot is 6 to 7 mm from the center of the nozzle.

The number of the ultraviolet probes is one or more; and/or,

The ultraviolet probe is disposed at a side of the connecting frame, and the nozzle is disposed below the connecting frame.

A method for coating a sealant, the method comprising: emitting ultraviolet rays to the output sealant while the nozzle outputs the sealant.

A method of implementing a pair of boxes, the method comprising:

While the nozzle outputs the sealant to the color filter substrate, the ultraviolet probe emits ultraviolet light to the output sealant; and, the liquid crystal is dripped onto the array substrate;

The color film substrate and the array substrate are paired with the box, and the box is finished after the frame sealant is cured. The method starts from O min, starts at the 7th minute, and ends at the 14th minute. DRAWINGS

1 is a schematic view of a prior art ODF process;

2 is a view showing a sealing frame coating device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the reaction rate of E-200-F after receiving ultraviolet irradiation;

4 is a schematic view showing a process of forming a box according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 5 is a view showing a sealing frame coating device according to another embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 is a schematic view showing the positional relationship between the nozzle of the sealant coating device of Figure 5 and the ultraviolet spot. Description of the reference signs:

1, array substrate; 2, liquid crystal; 3, color film substrate; 4, sealing frame glue; 5, baffle; 6, ultraviolet light source; 7, optical cable; 8, ultraviolet probe; 9, nozzle; 10, connecting frame; , ultraviolet probe; 12, ultraviolet probe; 13, ultraviolet probe; 14, ultraviolet light spot; 15, optical cable; 16, optical cable; 17, optical cable; 18, connecting frame; 19, ultraviolet probe. detailed description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention are clearly and completely described in the following with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. It is obvious that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts are within the scope of the present invention.

In practical applications, a new UV curing process and a delayed curing frame sealant can be used to ensure that the sealant coating and UV irradiation are performed almost simultaneously. The ODF process is completed by strictly controlling the time from the ultraviolet irradiation process to the completion of the process of the box and the time when the sealant is exposed to ultraviolet light to complete the photocuring reaction. Compared with the traditional process, there is no need to block the baffle for liquid crystal; no need to flip the substrate after the box; and, the ultraviolet curing of the frame sealant can be realized, and the entire substrate is not required to be completely irradiated, thereby saving cost; no need to complete the process of the box The UV curing process is carried out separately, which saves large equipment and process time; solves the problem that the reaction rate of the sealant is reduced due to the blocking effect of the opaque metal on the array substrate in the conventional process.

Specifically, the settings as shown in Fig. 2 can be performed. In Fig. 2, a nozzle 9 for applying a sealant (e.g., a sealant to a color filter substrate 3) and an ultraviolet probe 8 for emitting ultraviolet rays are fixed to the connector 10. The ultraviolet probe 8 is connected to the ultraviolet light source 6 through the optical cable 7, so that the ultraviolet light of the ultraviolet light source 6 can be emitted from the ultraviolet probe 8 through the optical cable 7.

The connecting frame 10 supports the nozzle 9 and the ultraviolet probe 8, and the nozzle 9 and the ultraviolet probe 8 can be relatively fixed. The nozzle 9 can be fixed below the connecting frame 10, and the ultraviolet probe 8 can be fixed to the side of the connecting frame 10. The ultraviolet probe 8 is directed to the position at which the nozzle 9 outputs the sealant to ensure that the sealant output from the nozzle 9 can be irradiated with the ultraviolet rays emitted from the ultraviolet probe 8. Of course, the ultraviolet probe 8 can also be fixed at other positions of the connector frame 10 (e.g., below the connector frame 10) as long as the frame sealant output from the nozzle 9 can be irradiated with ultraviolet rays emitted from the ultraviolet probe 8. However, it is preferable that the ultraviolet probe 8 is not directed to the nozzle 9 in order to prevent the nozzle 9 from being directly irradiated by the ultraviolet rays emitted from the ultraviolet probe 8.

While the nozzle 9 is coated with the sealant, the ultraviolet probe 8 is kept continuously emitting ultraviolet rays, so that the sealant coating can be completed in synchronization with the ultraviolet irradiation.

It should be noted that, in the case where the sealant coating is applied in synchronization with the ultraviolet irradiation, if the currently used instant curing sealant is used, the sealant will cure quickly after the ultraviolet irradiation and lose the adhesive property, resulting in failure. Bonding of the substrate is achieved in a subsequent wafer-to-box process, thus requiring the use of a delayed cure frame sealant.

There are a variety of post-curing frame sealants, such as: Frame sealant E-200-F. The sealant E-200-F can be quickly hardened 10 ± 2 minutes after exposure to ultraviolet light. Figure 3 shows the reaction rate of the sealant E-200-F after exposure to ultraviolet light.

Based on the above-described process in which the sealant coating is applied in synchronization with the ultraviolet irradiation, the box forming process as shown in FIG. 4 can be completed. In Fig. 4, the sealant coating and ultraviolet irradiation processes and liquid crystal instillation can be carried out simultaneously. The starting point of the boxing process is recorded as Omin, the sealant coating and ultraviolet irradiation process, and the liquid crystal infusion time is about 4 min. The time from the preparation of the box work to the start of the box is generally 3 minutes, that is, the box starts at 7 minutes. The frame sealant that was first exposed to ultraviolet light began to solidify rapidly around 9 minutes, and the frame sealant that was finally exposed to ultraviolet light began to solidify rapidly around 13 minutes. From the beginning of the box to the end of the box, the process time of the box is about 7min, and the time node for the end of the box is about 14min. At this time, the subsequent alignment detection and thermal curing processes can be performed.

In practical applications, in addition to the ultraviolet probe 8 as shown in Fig. 2, it is also possible to provide more than one ultraviolet probe. These UV probes can be divided into two types (the number of each UV probe can be one or more): The first UV probe points to the position where the nozzle 9 outputs the sealant (see the above for a detailed description of the UV probe). The description of Fig. 2); the second ultraviolet probe is directed to the position of the sealant that has been output and applied to the substrate by the nozzle 9 due to the movement of the nozzle 9. Since the first ultraviolet probe described above has been described, the second ultraviolet probe will be specifically described below with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 5, a nozzle 9 for applying a sealant (for example, applying a sealant to the color filter substrate 3) and ultraviolet probes 19, 11, 12, 13 for emitting ultraviolet rays are fixed to the frame 18. . The ultraviolet probes 19, 11, 12, 13 are connected to the ultraviolet light source 6 through the optical cables 7, 15, 16, 17 respectively, so that the ultraviolet light of the ultraviolet light source 6 can be passed through the optical cable 7, 15, 16, 17 by the ultraviolet probe 19, 11, 12, 13 issued.

The connecting frame 18 can also fix the nozzle 9 and the ultraviolet probes 19, 11, 12, 13 while supporting the nozzles 9, the ultraviolet probes 19, 11, 12, and 13. The nozzle 9 can be fixed below the connecting frame 10, and the ultraviolet probes 19, 11, 12, 13 can be fixed to the side of the connecting frame 10. The ultraviolet probes 19, 11, 12, 13 are directed to the position of the sealant that has been output and applied to the substrate (e.g., the color filter substrate 3) by the movement of the nozzle 9 to ensure the output of the nozzle 9 and The sealant applied to the substrate can be irradiated with ultraviolet rays emitted from the ultraviolet probes 19, 11, 12, 13; of course, at least one of the ultraviolet probes 19, 11, 12, 13 can also be fixed to the connector 10 The other position (e.g., under the connecting frame 10) can be irradiated with ultraviolet rays emitted from the ultraviolet probes 19, 11, 12, 13 as long as the sealant output from the nozzle 9 can be irradiated. However, it is preferable that the ultraviolet probes 19, 11, 12, and 13 are not directed to the nozzles 9 to prevent the nozzles 9 from being directly irradiated by the ultraviolet rays emitted from the ultraviolet probes 19, 11, 12, and 13.

The ultraviolet probe may be disposed at a position opposite to the direction in which the nozzle 9 moves, for example, the ultraviolet probes 19, 11, 12, 13 may be respectively disposed at the front, the rear, the left, and the right of the nozzle 9. Thus, when the nozzle 9 is moved forward, backward, left, and right and the sealant is applied, since the substrate to which the sealant is to be applied is stationary, the ultraviolet probe located at the opposite direction of the movement of the nozzle 9 emits ultraviolet rays, and the nozzle 9 The sealant that is output and coated on the substrate can be exposed to the ultraviolet rays emitted by the ultraviolet probe. Of course, it is also possible that the ultraviolet probes 19, 11, 12, and 13 emit ultraviolet rays regardless of which direction the nozzles 9 are moved.

Specifically, as shown in Fig. 5, the center of the intersecting cross formed by the ultraviolet probes 19, 11, 12, 13 may coincide with the center of the nozzle 9. The ultraviolet rays emitted from the ultraviolet probes 19, 11, 12, 13 form a circular ultraviolet spot 14 on the substrate to be coated with the sealant, having a diameter of 8 to 10 mm; the center of the ultraviolet spot 14 is spaced from the center of the nozzle 9 by 6 to 7 mm. . The diameter of the nozzle 9 can generally be about 0.3 mm.

In practical applications, the number of ultraviolet probes disposed at a position opposite to the direction in which the nozzle 9 moves may be more or less than four as shown in Fig. 5. Further, these ultraviolet probes and the aforementioned delayed-curing frame sealant can be applied to realize the card forming process as shown in Fig. 4. The contents of the delayed-curing frame sealant and the box-forming process have been described in the foregoing corresponding contents, and are not described herein again.

It should be noted that the ultraviolet probe 8 in FIG. 2 may not be directed to the position where the nozzle 9 outputs the sealant, but may be directed to the nozzle 9 to be output and coated by the movement of the nozzle 9. The position of the sealant on the substrate. In this case, the connector 10 supporting the ultraviolet probe 8 needs to be able to control the movement of the ultraviolet probe 8, so that the ultraviolet probe 8 can be directed to the nozzle 9 due to the movement of the nozzle 9. The position of the sealant that is output and applied to the substrate. Of course, such an ultraviolet probe 8 can also be disposed in the sealant coating device shown in FIG. 5, but the ultraviolet probes are controlled by the connector 10 so that the ultraviolet probes do not affect each other (eg, collide with each other, Or an ultraviolet probe blocks the ultraviolet rays emitted by another ultraviolet probe, etc., and ensures that all the ultraviolet probes achieve ultraviolet irradiation of all the sealant of the nozzle 9 output.

The invention can be applied to LCD products of different sizes, and the LCD product of 10 inches or more is the best, because the liquid crystal and the frame seal glue can be contacted when the product of 10 inches or more is about lOmin after the completion of the box.

In summary, it can be seen that the frame sealant coating apparatus and method of the present invention, and the method for realizing the box based thereon, do not need to block the shutter for liquid crystal compared with the conventional process; The entire substrate is fully irradiated to save cost; there is no need to separately perform the ultraviolet curing process after the completion of the process of the box, which saves the process time; and solves the frame-gel reaction caused by the blocking effect of the opaque metal on the array substrate in the conventional process. The problem of the rate drop, and the need to flip the substrate after the box, avoiding the vibration of the substrate when the sealant is uncured, increasing the alignment accuracy and improving the product quality.

The above is only the preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Any changes or substitutions that are readily conceivable within the scope of the present invention are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the invention should be determined by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

claims

1. A frame sealing glue coating device, which device includes a nozzle arranged on a connecting frame for applying frame sealing glue and an ultraviolet probe for emitting ultraviolet rays; the ultraviolet probe points to the sealing frame output from the nozzle Where the glue can be irradiated immediately.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the ultraviolet probe points to the position where the nozzle outputs the frame sealing glue.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the nozzle and ultraviolet probe are fixed on the connecting frame.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the ultraviolet probe points to a position that can illuminate the frame sealant that has been output and applied to the substrate due to the movement of the nozzle.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein the ultraviolet probe is movably arranged on the connecting frame.

6. The device according to claim 4, wherein the ultraviolet light emitted by the ultraviolet probe forms a circular ultraviolet light spot with a diameter of 8~10mm on the substrate to be coated with the frame sealant; the center of the ultraviolet light spot is The centers of the nozzles are 6 to 7 mm apart.

7. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein,

The number of the ultraviolet probes is one or more; and/or,

The ultraviolet probe is arranged on the side of the connecting frame, and the nozzle is arranged below the connecting frame.

8. A method for coating frame sealing glue using the device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, the method comprising: while the nozzle outputs the frame sealing glue, the ultraviolet probe directs the output to the frame sealing glue. Glue emits ultraviolet light.

9. A method for realizing box pairing using the device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, the method comprising:

While the nozzle outputs the frame sealing glue to the color filter substrate, the ultraviolet probe emits ultraviolet rays to the output frame sealing glue; and, drips liquid crystal into the array substrate;

The color filter substrate and the array substrate are aligned, and the alignment is completed after the frame sealing glue is cured.

10. The method according to claim 9, the method starts from 0 min, starts box matching at the 7th minute, and ends at the 14th minute.