WO2015039360A1

WO2015039360A1 - Alignment device and method for air-floating-type liquid crystal substrate

Info

Publication number: WO2015039360A1
Application number: PCT/CN2013/084174
Authority: WO
Inventors: 宋涛; 刘明; 马涛; 赵国栋; 刘一俊; 陈方甫
Original assignee: 深圳市华星光电技术有限公司
Priority date: 2013-09-22
Filing date: 2013-09-25
Publication date: 2015-03-26
Also published as: CN103529599B; CN103529599A

Abstract

An alignment device and method for an air-floating-type liquid crystal substrate (1). The alignment device for the air-floating-type liquid crystal substrate (1) comprises: a heating platform (2), a plurality of air holes (230) being provided on the heating platform, the air holes (230) being used for delivering hot air which has a uniform temperature and flows vertically upward; support frames (3) which are arranged around the heating platform (2) and used for supporting and clamping the liquid crystal substrate (1) to be aligned; and support ejector pins (4) which are uniformly arranged in the heating platform (2), can move vertically with the support frames (3) in the same direction, and are used for supporting the bottom of the liquid crystal substrate (1) for at least part of the time; wherein the air injection amount of the air holes (230) is gradually reduced from the centre of the heating platform (2) to the edge of the heating platform (2). The alignment device and the alignment method can make the liquid crystal substrate (1) be uniformly heated and illuminated by ultraviolet rays in the alignment process, and can improve the quality and the yield of the liquid crystal substrate (1).

Description

Alignment device and method for air-floating liquid crystal substrate The present application claims to be filed on September 22, 2013 by the Chinese Patent Office, the application number is 201310429812.3, and the invention is entitled "An aligning device and method for an air floating liquid crystal substrate" Priority of the Chinese Patent Application, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical field

The present invention relates to a manufacturing technology of a thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD), and more particularly to an alignment device and method for an air floating liquid crystal substrate.

Background technique

In the manufacturing technology of the existing liquid crystal display, among them, UV Curing is an important process, and after filling the liquid crystal mixture, the liquid crystal substrate needs to perform the alignment process of the liquid crystal under the action of the ultraviolet light and the electric field.

The principle of alignment by ultraviolet curing is to apply an electric field to the upper and lower sides of the liquid crystal substrate, and to irradiate the liquid crystal with ultraviolet rays, so that the reactive monomer in the liquid crystal moves up and down under the action of the electric field, and polymerization occurs under the action of ultraviolet rays. Thereby, an alignment layer is formed on the upper and lower substrates of the liquid crystal to achieve alignment of the liquid crystal. In the liquid crystal alignment process, ultraviolet light, electric field and reaction temperature are three very important factors.

In order to achieve uniformity of irradiation of the liquid crystal substrate by ultraviolet rays, a method of supporting the substrate by a thimble is often employed. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, a schematic diagram of a liquid crystal substrate alignment device in the prior art is shown. The liquid crystal substrate alignment device supports the liquid crystal substrate 1 through a plurality of rows of ejector pins 90, wherein the plurality of rows of tops 90 are in contact with the display region 10 of the liquid crystal substrate 1; and the conductive probes 91 located at both ends of the liquid crystal substrate 1 are The liquid crystal substrate 1 is applied with an electric field. However, in this prior art, since the thimble cannot achieve a complete heat insulating effect, the alignment unevenness (Pin Mura) due to the contact of the thimble is liable to occur.

In order to reduce such unevenness, in some aspects, the display area 10 is avoided by reducing the number of ejector pins 90 or by bringing the thimble 90 into contact with the liquid crystal substrate 1.

As shown in FIG. 3, another schematic diagram of a liquid crystal substrate alignment device in the prior art is shown. In In this prior art, the number of thimbles 90 is greatly reduced. However, in this prior art, due to the reduction in the number of thimbles, the occurrence of bending of the liquid crystal substrate may occur, and the bending of the liquid crystal substrate may cause poor contact between the conductive probe and the liquid crystal substrate (as shown in the figure). In the middle of B, the application of an external voltage to the liquid crystal substrate causes a contact failure, resulting in an abnormal alignment. In addition, where the liquid crystal substrate is deformed, the amount of ultraviolet light received by it is different from the amount of ultraviolet light received by other normal areas. Generally, in the case where deformation occurs, the amount of ultraviolet light received is lower. (See A in the figure) This will result in a difference in the alignment speed of each area, resulting in uneven alignment.

As shown in FIG. 4, another schematic diagram of a liquid crystal substrate alignment device in the prior art is shown. In this alignment device, the ejector pins 90 are alternately moved to support the liquid crystal substrate 1. This can reduce the contact time of the thimble 91 and the liquid crystal substrate 1 at the same position. Since the thimble 91 and the liquid crystal substrate 1 inevitably need to be in contact, the existing technology can only reduce the occurrence of the alignment unevenness, but cannot be completely avoided. The occurrence of uneven alignment.

In summary, in the prior art, when the alignment of the liquid crystal substrate is performed, since the occurrence of the alignment unevenness cannot be avoided, how to improve the quality of the liquid crystal substrate and the yield of the product is a problem to be solved.

Summary of the invention

The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an alignment device and method for an air floating liquid crystal substrate, which can uniformly heat and ultraviolet light in the alignment process of the liquid crystal substrate, and can improve the quality of the liquid crystal substrate and the product yield.

In order to solve the above technical problem, an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention provides an alignment device for an air floating liquid crystal substrate, including:

a heating platform, on which a plurality of air holes are disposed, the air holes are used for conveying hot air with a temperature hook and a vertical direction;

a support frame disposed around the heating platform for supporting and holding the liquid crystal substrate to be aligned;

Supporting a thimble, uniformly disposed in the heating platform, movable parallel to the support frame for supporting the bottom of the liquid crystal substrate at least part of time;

Wherein the air jet volume of the air hole gradually increases from the center of the heating platform to the edge of the heating platform cut back.

Wherein, the heating platform comprises:

a heating layer for heating the heating platform;

a first heat transfer layer above the heating layer;

a second heat transfer layer located below the heating layer;

Wherein, the first heat transfer layer is further provided with a gas passage, and the gas passage is formed with the plurality of pores on the surface of the first heat transfer layer.

Wherein, the upper surface of the first heat transfer layer is anodized to form a black or dark color to convert thermal energy of the heating layer into infrared rays.

Wherein, the heating layer is an electric heating layer using mica as an insulating medium.

Further, the support frame is further provided with a mechanism for positioning the liquid crystal substrate in an entire column, and a clamping mechanism for clamping and fixing the liquid crystal substrate.

Wherein, a probe is disposed on the first heat transfer layer for positioning the liquid crystal substrate. Therein, further comprising a driving mechanism for respectively driving the support frame and supporting the ejector movement.

Correspondingly, an embodiment of the present invention further provides an alignment device for an air floating liquid crystal substrate, which includes:

Wherein, the heating platform comprises:

a heating layer for heating the heating platform;

a first heat transfer layer above the heating layer;

a second heat transfer layer located below the heating layer;

Further, a gas passage is further disposed in the first heat transfer layer, the gas passage is formed with the plurality of air holes on a surface of the first heat transfer layer, and a jet amount of the air hole is from a center of the heating platform The edge of the heating platform is gradually reduced.

Correspondingly, an embodiment of the present invention further provides an alignment method of an air floating liquid crystal substrate, comprising the following steps:

The liquid crystal substrate is placed on the support frame and the support ejector pin, and the support frame positions and clamps the liquid crystal substrate;

The support frame and the support thimble move downward by a first distance;

The liquid crystal substrate is suspended and separated from the supporting ejector by a predetermined height by heating a plurality of air holes of the surface of the platform upward, and the driving thimble is driven to move downward by a second distance, and the probe is raised. Reaching a lower portion of the liquid crystal substrate;

Applying a voltage to the liquid crystal substrate and applying ultraviolet light to perform an alignment process;

After the alignment is completed, the probe is released, and the support thimble is moved upward by a second distance, and the plurality of air holes stop ejecting hot air;

The support frame and the support thimble are driven to move upward by a first distance and the liquid crystal substrate is removed.

Among them, further includes:

The amount of the jet that controls the air vent is gradually reduced from the center of the heating platform toward the edge of the heating platform, and the liquid crystal substrate is suspended and the predetermined height from the supporting ejector is 0.1 to 1 mm.

Wherein, the temperature of the hot air that is vertically ejected from the plurality of air holes is between 50 ± 5 °C. Embodiments of the present invention have the following beneficial effects:

First, the alignment device and method for a liquid crystal substrate provided by the embodiment of the present invention blows hot air to the bottom of the substrate through the air holes of the heating platform, so that the display area of the liquid crystal substrate is suspended in the air, without any The quality contact prevents the uneven alignment of the substrate due to contact with the support pins. In addition, in the embodiment of the invention, the liquid crystal substrate can be uniformly heated during the alignment process, and the bending of the liquid crystal substrate can be reduced, so that the ultraviolet light can be uniformly irradiated on the liquid crystal substrate, thereby improving the quality of the liquid crystal substrate and the product yield. ;

Moreover, in the embodiment of the present invention, the air jet volume of the air hole is gradually reduced from the center of the heating platform to the edge of the heating platform, and the liquid crystal substrate can be stably suspended above the heating platform during the entire alignment process.

DRAWINGS

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings used in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly described below. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only It is a certain embodiment of the present invention, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings according to these drawings without any creative work.

1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the structure of an alignment device of a conventional liquid crystal substrate;

Figure 2 is a bottom view of Figure 1;

3 is a schematic view showing the structure of an alignment device of another liquid crystal substrate; FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing the structure of a conventional alignment device of a liquid crystal substrate; FIG. 5 is an air floating type provided by the present invention. A schematic diagram of a first state structure of an alignment device of a liquid crystal substrate;

6 is a schematic view showing a second state structure of an alignment device of an air floating type liquid crystal substrate provided by the present invention;

7 is a schematic view showing a third state structure of an alignment device of an air floating type liquid crystal substrate provided by the present invention;

Fig. 8 is a schematic view showing the structure of a heating platform in an alignment device of an air floating type liquid crystal substrate provided by the present invention.

detailed description

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring to FIG. 5 to FIG. 9, a schematic structural view of an air floating type liquid crystal substrate alignment device of the present invention is shown. In this embodiment, the alignment device of the air floating liquid crystal substrate comprises at least: a heating platform 2 on which a plurality of air holes 230 are provided, and the air holes 230 are used for conveying temperature uniformity and Vertical upward hot air;

The support frame 3 is disposed around the heating platform 2 for supporting and holding the liquid crystal substrate 1 to be aligned, and further comprising a mechanism for positioning the liquid crystal substrate 1 on the support frame 3, and performing the liquid crystal substrate 1 on the liquid crystal substrate 1 Clamping a fixed clamping mechanism 6;

a plurality of supporting thimbles 4 are uniformly disposed in the heating platform 2, and are movable in the same direction as the supporting frame 3 for supporting the bottom of the liquid crystal substrate 1 at least part of time;

Wherein, the air volume of the air hole 230 gradually decreases from the center of the heating platform 2 toward the edge of the heating platform 2; further, a driving mechanism for driving the support frame and supporting the movement of the thimble, respectively, is further included. Wherein, the heating platform 2 comprises:

a heating layer 20 for heating the heating platform. In one embodiment, the heating layer is an electric heating layer using mica as an insulating medium;

a first heat transfer layer 21 located above the heating layer 20;

a second heat transfer layer 22, located below the heating layer 20;

Wherein, a gas passage 23 is further disposed in the first heat transfer layer 21, and the gas passage 23 is formed with a plurality of air holes 230 on the surface of the first heat transfer layer 21, wherein the gas passage 23 and an external air pump (not shown) The gas of the external air pump is subjected to, for example, filtration and preheating before the gas passage 23 is performed, wherein the number or/and the size ratio of the pores 23 provided at the intermediate position of the first heat transfer layer 21 is in the first heat transfer layer 21 The number and/or size of the air holes 23 provided at the edge positions are large.

The first heat transfer layer 21 and the second heat transfer layer 22 may be made of a material having excellent thermal conductivity (such as aluminum or aluminum alloy) to uniformly conduct heat energy; the upper surface of the first heat transfer layer 21 may also be anodized to form black. Or a darker color, the thermal energy of the heating layer 20 can be converted into infrared rays, which can be absorbed by the liquid crystal substrate 1 into heat energy to heat the liquid crystal substrate 1, the above-mentioned anode treatment, and can also protect the first heat transfer layer 21 Surface to prevent cracking from creating cracks;

The temperature of the heating layer 20 and the external air pump is controlled such that the temperature of the hot air that is vertically ejected from the air holes 230 is always between 50 ± 5 °C.

Further, a probe 5 is provided on the first heat transfer layer 21 for positioning the liquid crystal substrate 1. Hereinafter, the specific flow of the alignment method of the air floating liquid crystal substrate provided by the present invention is further described in conjunction with FIG. 5 to FIG. 9, the alignment method of the air floating liquid crystal substrate includes the following steps:

First, the liquid crystal substrate is placed on the support frame and the support ejector pin, and the support frame performs the liquid crystal substrate Positioning and clamping and fixing; usually, the liquid crystal substrate needs to be transported in an alignment chamber for alignment treatment, and the alignment chamber needs to maintain a relatively constant temperature (for example, about 50 ° C), and the liquid crystal substrate can be transported through a device such as a robot. carry out.

Then, the support frame and the support thimble are moved downward by a first distance, so that heat of the heating platform is more efficiently transmitted to the liquid crystal substrate. In one embodiment, the first distance may be 0.1-50 mm.

Then, by spraying a plurality of air holes on the surface of the platform to vertically discharge a hot air of uniform temperature, the liquid crystal substrate is suspended and at a predetermined height from the supporting thimble, the driving support thimble is moved downward by a second distance, and the probe is raised to the top liquid crystal substrate. The lower part, wherein, by the number and size of the air holes, the air jet volume of the air hole can be controlled to gradually decrease from the center of the heating platform to the edge of the heating platform. In one embodiment, the temperature of the hot air that is vertically sprayed from the plurality of air holes is 50. Between ± 5 ° C, and the second distance may be 0.1-5 mm, the predetermined height may be 0.1 ~ lmm;

After the alignment is completed, the probe is loosened, and the support thimble is moved upward by a second distance, and the plurality of air holes stop to emit hot air;

The driving support frame and the supporting thimble are moved upward by a first distance, and the liquid crystal substrate is removed.

Embodiments of the present invention have the following beneficial effects:

First, the alignment apparatus and method for a liquid crystal substrate provided by the embodiment of the present invention blows hot air to the bottom of the substrate through the air holes of the heating platform, so that the display area of the liquid crystal substrate is suspended in the air without contacting any substance, thereby avoiding the substrate and the supporting pin. The phenomenon of uneven alignment caused by contact.

In addition, in the embodiment of the invention, the liquid crystal substrate can be uniformly heated during the alignment process, and the bending of the liquid crystal substrate can be reduced, so that the ultraviolet light can be uniformly irradiated on the liquid crystal substrate, thereby improving the quality of the liquid crystal substrate and the product yield. ;

The above is only the preferred embodiment of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and thus equivalent variations are still within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

Rights request

1. An alignment device for air-floating liquid crystal substrates, including:

A heating platform is provided with a plurality of air holes, and the air holes are used to transport hot air with uniform temperature and vertical upward direction;

A support frame is provided around the heating platform for supporting and clamping the liquid crystal substrate to be aligned;

Support ejector pins, evenly arranged in the heating platform, can move up and down in the same direction as the support frame, and are used to support the bottom of the liquid crystal substrate at least part of the time;

Wherein, the amount of air injection from the air holes gradually decreases from the center of the heating platform to the edge of the heating platform.

2. The alignment device for air-floating liquid crystal substrates as claimed in claim 1, wherein the heating platform includes:

Heating layer, used to heat the heating platform;

The first heat transfer layer is located above the heating layer;

The second heat transfer layer is located under the heating layer;

Wherein, the first heat transfer layer is further provided with a gas channel, and the gas channel has the plurality of pores formed on the surface of the first heat transfer layer.

3. The alignment device for an air-floating liquid crystal substrate according to claim 2, wherein the upper surface of the first heat transfer layer is anodized to form black or darker color, so that the thermal energy of the heating layer is converted into infrared.

4. The alignment device for an air-floating liquid crystal substrate according to claim 3, wherein the heating layer is an electric heating layer using mica as an insulating medium.

5. The air-floating liquid crystal substrate alignment device according to claim 4, wherein the support frame is further provided with a mechanism for aligning and positioning the liquid crystal substrate, and a clamp for clamping and fixing the liquid crystal substrate. supporting institutions.

6. The alignment device for an air-floating liquid crystal substrate as claimed in claim 5, wherein a probe is provided on the first heat transfer layer for positioning the liquid crystal substrate.

7. The alignment device for an air-floating liquid crystal substrate according to claim 6, further comprising a driving mechanism for respectively driving the movement of the support frame and the support ejector pin.

8. An alignment device for air-floating liquid crystal substrates, including:

Wherein, the heating platform includes:

Heating layer, used to heat the heating platform;

The first heat transfer layer is located above the heating layer;

The second heat transfer layer is located under the heating layer;

The first heat transfer layer is further provided with a gas channel, the gas channel is formed with the plurality of pores on the surface of the first heat transfer layer, and the amount of air injection from the pores is from the center of the heating platform to the The edges of the heated platform taper off.

9. The air-floating liquid crystal substrate alignment device according to claim 8, wherein the support frame is further provided with a mechanism for aligning and positioning the liquid crystal substrate, and a clamp for clamping and fixing the liquid crystal substrate. supporting institutions.

10. The air-floating liquid crystal substrate alignment device according to claim 9, wherein a probe is provided on the first heat transfer layer for positioning the liquid crystal substrate.

11. The alignment device for an air-floating liquid crystal substrate according to claim 10, further comprising a driving mechanism for respectively driving the movement of the support frame and the support ejector pin.

12. The alignment device for an air-floating liquid crystal substrate according to claim 11, wherein the upper surface of the first heat transfer layer is anodized to form black or darker color, so that the thermal energy of the heating layer is converted into infrared.

13. The alignment device for an air-floating liquid crystal substrate as claimed in claim 12, wherein the heating layer is an electric heating layer using mica as an insulating medium.

14. An alignment method for an air-floating liquid crystal substrate, which is implemented in the alignment equipment for an air-floating liquid crystal substrate according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the method includes the following steps: placing the liquid crystal substrate Placed on a support frame and a support ejector pin, the support frame performs a function on the liquid crystal substrate Positioning and clamping;

The support frame and the support ejector pin move downward a first distance;

Hot air with uniform temperature is ejected vertically upward through multiple air holes on the surface of the heating platform, causing the liquid crystal substrate to float and be a predetermined height away from the support pin, driving the support pin to move downward a second distance, and causing the probe to rise. Press against the lower part of the liquid crystal substrate;

Apply voltage to the liquid crystal substrate and apply ultraviolet light to perform the alignment process;

After the alignment is completed, the probe is released and the support ejector pin is moved upward a second distance, and the plurality of air holes stop ejecting hot air;

The support frame and the support ejector pin are driven to move upward a first distance, and the liquid crystal substrate is removed.

15. The alignment method of an air-floating liquid crystal substrate as claimed in claim 14, further comprising:

The amount of air injection from the air holes is controlled to gradually decrease from the center of the heating platform to the edge of the heating platform, and the liquid crystal substrate is suspended at a predetermined height of 0.1 to 1 mm from the support ejector pin.

16. The alignment method of an air-floating liquid crystal substrate as claimed in claim 15, wherein the temperature of the hot air ejected vertically upward from the plurality of air holes is between 50 ± 5°C.