JP4020698B2 - Liquid crystal display device and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display device and a manufacturing method thereof, and more particularly to a liquid crystal display device having an improved pattern shape of a sealing material in a liquid crystal display panel using a dropping injection method and a manufacturing method thereof.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, as a method for sealing a liquid crystal display panel, a sealing material is applied in a loop shape along the peripheral portion of one substrate constituting the panel, for example, a color filter substrate, and then opposed. A method has been used in which a sealing material is cured by holding the electrode substrate in a state of maintaining a minute interval with a spacer, and the sealing material is immersed in a liquid crystal reservoir and vacuum filled and then sealed. However, the distance between the two substrates is as small as several μm, and it takes a long time for evacuation, so the working efficiency is low. Also, after the sealing process, the liquid crystal adhering to the substrate must be washed, and the liquid crystal is wasted. There was also a problem that there were many. Therefore, in recent years, as a method for solving such a problem, a dropping injection method in which liquid crystal is dropped on one substrate and two substrates are bonded in a vacuum has been proposed. In this dropping injection method, a method of supplying a sealing material onto a substrate by a dispenser is used as a method of forming a seal pattern instead of the conventional screen printing method. That is, a closed loop of a sealing material is formed on one substrate using a dispenser, and after dropping a liquid crystal on this substrate, it is set together with the other substrate in a bonding apparatus, evacuated, and evacuated in vacuum. A sheet of substrates is bonded together.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, since the conventional liquid drop injection method does not require a liquid crystal injection port, a closed loop of the sealing material is drawn with a single stroke using a dispenser, and its starting point is used to improve the reliability of the seal. It was necessary to overlap the part and the end point. In this overlapping portion, the amount of the sealing material is larger than that at other positions. Therefore, when the two substrates are pressed and joined, there is a problem that the sealing width increases in the lateral direction. For this reason, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-240807, the seal material is drawn with one of the four corners having the largest seal margin (distance between the seal position and the substrate end face) as the start point end point and end point end of one stroke. Thus, a method for forming a closed loop has been proposed.
[0004]
Further, as a method in which the amount of the sealing material does not become larger than other positions even if the starting point end portion and the end point end portion are overlapped, as shown in FIG. 4, the starting point end portion 7a and the end point end portion of the pattern of the sealing material 7 are provided. In the overlapping portion 9 of 7b, there is also a method in which the seal width is made narrower than a predetermined seal width at other positions so as to overlap each other, and after overlapping, the same width as the seal width at other positions is provided. . However, it is difficult to set a dispenser to form such a pattern of the sealing material 7, and a seal puncture due to insufficient overlap of the sealing material 7 and a gap failure due to excessive sealing are likely to occur, resulting in low productivity. was there. In a liquid crystal display panel, a liquid crystal driving terminal (not shown) is usually arranged along two edges (for example, edges 4c and 4d in FIG. 4A) of a rectangular substrate. When the sealing material 7 adheres to this terminal, a connection failure occurs. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the position of the overlapping portion 9 of the start point end portion 7a and the end point end portion 7b of the sealing material 7.
[0005]
The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and in a liquid crystal display device using a dropping injection method, a seal puncture or a gap defect does not occur, and a liquid crystal display device having high seal reliability. It aims at obtaining the manufacturing method.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In the liquid crystal display device according to the present invention, two substrates each having a display unit formed at the center are arranged opposite to each other, and each substrate and a seal arranged so as to surround the display unit between these substrates. A liquid crystal display device in which liquid crystal is arranged in a space formed by a closed loop of material, wherein two substrates have four edge portions and four corner portions formed between the respective adjacent edges. a substantially rectangular substrate, the sealing member forms a closed loop around the periphery of the display unit from its start point end, one whose end point edge intersects the starting end, in one of the four corners A start point end and an end point end are arranged .
Further, liquid crystal driving terminals are arranged at two adjacent edges among the four edges, and the starting end of the sealing material is formed at a corner formed between the two edges facing these two edges. Part and end point end are arranged.
Moreover, the start point end part and end point end part of the sealing material extend outside the closed loop.
Furthermore, the start point end portion and the end point end portion of the sealing material intersect each other at a substantially right angle.
[0007]
Further, in the method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device according to the present invention, two substrates having a display unit formed at the center of each are arranged so as to face each other, and the display unit is surrounded between each substrate and these substrates. A method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device in which liquid crystal is disposed in a space formed by a closed loop of a sealing material disposed on a substrate , wherein two substrates are formed between four edges and their adjacent edges. The sealing material is formed in a closed loop around the periphery of the display portion from the start point end portion thereof using a dispenser, and the end point end portion is connected to the start point end portion. crossed, in which the start end and the end point end into one of the four corners is made form so as to be located.
Further, liquid crystal driving terminals are arranged at two adjacent edges of the four edges, and a start point end and an end point are formed at a corner portion formed between the two edges facing the two edges. The sealing material is formed so that the end portion is located.
Further, the discharge amount of the sealing material by the dispenser is made substantially constant from the start point end to the end point.
[0008]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiment 1 FIG.
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the liquid crystal display device according to the present embodiment surrounds the display unit on one of two substrates, for example, a TFT array substrate and a color filter substrate, each having a display unit formed at the center. A sealing material is supplied to the substrate by using a dispenser to form a closed loop, and a liquid crystal is dropped on the substrate, and the substrate is manufactured using a dropping injection method in which the other substrate is bonded in a vacuum.
First, the structure of a liquid crystal display panel constituting the liquid crystal display device in this embodiment will be briefly described with reference to FIG. The liquid crystal display panel 1 includes an electrode substrate 2 and a counter substrate 4 that are arranged to face each other at a predetermined interval. The electrode substrate 2 is, for example, a TFT array substrate. In the pixel electrode formation region 3, TFTs (thin film transistors) and pixel electrodes (not shown) are formed in a matrix, and the liquid crystal is driven by an image signal supplied from an external circuit. And has a function of controlling the light transmittance of each pixel. On the other hand, the counter substrate 4 is a color filter substrate, for example, and a counter electrode made of a transparent conductive film (not shown) and a color material for color display are formed in the counter electrode formation region 5. These pixel electrode formation region 3 and counter electrode formation region 5 are generally referred to as a display portion of the liquid crystal display panel 1. A liquid crystal 8 is arranged in a space formed by the electrode substrate 2 and the counter substrate 4 and a closed loop of a sealing material 7 arranged so as to surround the display portion between these substrates, and the substrate interval is made constant by the spacer 6. Retained. In the present embodiment, the sealing material 7 forms a closed loop around the periphery of the display portion from the start point end portion, and the end point end portion intersects the start point end portion.
[0009]
A manufacturing method of the liquid crystal display device in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2A is a plan view showing a seal pattern of the liquid crystal display panel in the present embodiment, and FIG. 2B is an enlarged view of a portion indicated by B in FIG. The color filter substrate 4 is a rectangular substrate having four edge portions 4a, 4b, 4c and 4d and four corner portions 4e, 4f, 4g and 4h formed between the adjacent edges. .
First, a UV curable sealant 7 is supplied to the periphery of the 0.6 mm thick color filter substrate 4 using a dispenser to form a closed loop 7c. At this time, the start point end portion 7a of the sealing material 7 is arranged in any one of the four corner portions 4e, 4f, 4g, and 4h of the color filter substrate 4, in this embodiment, the corner portion 4e. As shown in FIG. 2 (a), a closed loop 7c is formed around the periphery of the display unit, and its end point end 7b intersects with the start point end 7a. That is, the intersection part 10 of the sealing material 7 as shown in FIG.2 (b) is formed in the corner part 4e. The start point end portion 7a and the end point end portion 7b of the sealing material 7 extend outside the closed loop 7c, and do not affect the display portion formed in the center portion of each substrate. Further, in the other three corner portions 4f, 4g and 4h, as shown in FIG. 3, the closed loop 7c of the sealing material 7 is formed in a curved shape, whereas in the intersection portion 10 in the corner portion 4e. The start point end portion 7a and the end point end portion 7b of the sealing material 7 intersect each other at a substantially right angle. For this reason, the distance L1 between the counter electrode forming region 5 serving as the display portion and the intersecting portion 10 is larger than the distance L2 between the sealing material 7 and the counter electrode forming region 5 in the other three corner portions 4f, 4g, and 4h. become longer.
[0010]
In general, in a liquid crystal display device, liquid crystal driving terminals are arranged at two adjacent edges of the substrate. In this embodiment, the four edges 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d of the color filter substrate 4 are arranged. Among them, a corner portion 4e formed between two end edges 4a and 4b facing two end edges 4c and 4d on which a liquid crystal driving terminal (not shown) is disposed, and a starting end portion 7a of the sealing material 7 And an end point 7b. In the present embodiment, the discharge amount of the sealing material 7 by the dispenser is made almost constant from the start point end 7a to the end point end 7b.
On the other hand, a spacer 6 having a particle size of 4.0 μm is sprayed on the TFT array substrate 2 side, and is heated and adhered. Thereafter, a predetermined amount of liquid crystal 8 is dropped on the color filter substrate 4 and set in the bonding apparatus together with the TFT array substrate 2 and evacuated to bond the two substrates in a vacuum. Thereafter, the sealing material 7 is irradiated with ultraviolet rays to be cured in the atmosphere, whereby the liquid crystal display panel 1 in the present embodiment is completed.
In the present embodiment, the example in which the seal material 7 is formed on the color filter substrate 4 side has been described. However, the seal material 7 may be formed on the TFT array substrate 2 side, and the present invention is applicable in any case. .
[0011]
According to the present embodiment, in the liquid crystal display device manufactured by the dropping injection method, the sealing material 7 forms a closed loop 7c from the start point end portion 7a to the periphery of the display portion, and the end point end portion 7b is the start point. Since the end portion 7a was intersected, a liquid crystal display device with high seal reliability in which seal puncture due to insufficient overlap of the sealant 7 and gap failure due to excessive seal formation did not occur. At the intersection 10, the amount of the sealing material 7 is larger than that at other portions and the seal width is slightly expanded. Since it is provided in the corner portion 4e, it is not necessary to increase the seal margin as compared with the conventional case, and does not hinder downsizing of the substrate size. Furthermore, since the distance L1 between the display portion and the intersecting portion 10 is longer than the distance L2 between the seal material 7 and the display portion at the other three corner portions 4f, 4g, and 4h, no gap defect occurred. Further, the sealing member 7 is driven by the liquid crystal by arranging the intersecting portion 10 at the corner portion 4e formed between the two end edges 4a and 4b facing the two end edges 4c and 4d where the liquid crystal driving terminals are arranged. A liquid crystal display panel with high quality and reliability that can prevent adhesion to the terminals was obtained. Further, since the discharge amount of the sealing material 7 by the dispenser is made almost constant from the start point end portion 7a to the end point end portion 7b, the setting of the dispenser can be easily performed, and the pattern having the intersection 10 according to the present embodiment is overlapped. Compared with the conventional pattern having the mating portion 9 (FIG. 4), the inspection of the pattern confirmation of the sealing material 7 is easy, so that workability and productivity are improved.
[0012]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, two substrates each having a display unit formed in the center are arranged opposite to each other, and each substrate is arranged so as to surround the display unit between these substrates. In the liquid crystal display device in which the liquid crystal is arranged in a space formed by the closed loop of the sealing material, the sealing material forms a closed loop around the periphery of the display portion from the start point end portion, and the end point end portion is the start point end portion. since intersects with, seal highly reliable liquid crystal display device failure gap by serving too much overlap that due to the lack of seal punk and seal of the sealing material does not occur is obtained.
[0013]
Further, since the start point end portion and end point end portion of the sealing material are arranged at one of the four corner portions of the substantially square substrate, it is not necessary to increase the seal margin as compared with the conventional case, and the seal reliability is high. A liquid crystal display device is obtained.
[0014]
Further, liquid crystal driving terminals are arranged at two adjacent edges among the four edges, and the starting end of the sealing material is formed at a corner formed between the two edges facing these two edges. Since the end portion and the end point end portion are arranged, it is possible to prevent the sealing material from adhering to the liquid crystal driving terminal, and a liquid crystal display device with high quality and reliability can be obtained.
[0015]
In addition, since the start point end and end point end of the sealing material extend outside the closed loop, a liquid crystal display device with high sealing reliability can be obtained without affecting the display unit formed in the center of each substrate. It is done.
[0016]
Further, since the start point end portion and the end point end portion of the seal material intersect each other at a substantially right angle, the distance between the intersection portion and the display portion is more than the distance between the seal material and the display portion at the other three corner portions. Thus, a liquid crystal display device in which gap defects do not occur can be obtained.
[0017]
In addition, according to the method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device of the present invention, the sealing material is formed in a closed loop around the periphery of the display unit from the start point end using a dispenser, and the end point is the start point end. Since they are formed so as to intersect with each other, it is possible to manufacture a liquid crystal display device with high seal reliability that does not cause seal puncture due to insufficient overlap of the seal material or gap failure due to excessive sealing.
[0018]
In addition, since the sealing material is formed so that the start and end points are located at one of the four corners of the substantially square substrate, there is no need to increase the seal margin compared to the conventional case, and the seal reliability is improved. Liquid crystal display device with high height can be manufactured.
[0019]
Further, liquid crystal driving terminals are arranged at two adjacent edges among the four edges, and a start point end and an end point are formed at a corner portion formed between the two edges facing the two edges. Since the sealing material is formed so that the end portion is located, the sealing material can be prevented from adhering to the liquid crystal driving terminal, and a liquid crystal display device with high quality and reliability can be manufactured.
[0020]
Furthermore, by making the discharge amount of the sealing material by the dispenser substantially constant from the start point end to the end point, the setting of the dispenser can be easily performed, so that workability and productivity are improved.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a structure of a liquid crystal display panel according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
FIGS. 2A and 2B are a plan view and a partially enlarged view showing a seal pattern of the liquid crystal display panel according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIGS.
FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view showing a seal pattern of the liquid crystal display panel according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a plan view and a partially enlarged view showing a seal pattern of a conventional liquid crystal display panel.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 liquid crystal display panel, 2 electrode substrate (TFT array substrate), 3 pixel electrode formation region, 4 counter substrate (color filter substrate), 4a, 4b edge,
4c, 4d liquid crystal drive terminal side edge, 4e, 4f, 4g, 4h corner,
5 counter electrode formation region, 6 spacer, 7 sealing material, 7a start point end,
7b End point, 7c Closed loop, 8 Liquid crystal, 9 Overlap, 10 Crossing.

Claims (7)

Two substrates each having a display portion formed at the center thereof are arranged to face each other, and each substrate is formed by a closed loop of a sealing material arranged between the substrates so as to surround the display portion. A liquid crystal display device in which liquid crystal is arranged in a space, wherein the two substrates are substantially rectangular substrates having four edges and four corners formed between the adjacent edges. the sealing material, the closed loop formed from the start point end around the periphery of the display unit, in which the end point edge intersects the starting end, the one of the four corners A liquid crystal display device comprising a start end and an end end . Liquid crystal driving terminals are disposed at two adjacent edges of the four edges, and the starting point of the sealing material is formed at a corner formed between the two edges facing the two edges. the liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, characterized in that said an end portion ending end portion is arranged. 3. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the start point end portion and the end point end portion of the sealing material extend to the outside of the closed loop. The liquid crystal display device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the end point end and the starting end of the sealing member intersect substantially at right angles to each other. Two substrates each having a display portion formed at the center thereof are arranged to face each other, and each substrate is formed by a closed loop of a sealing material arranged between the substrates so as to surround the display portion. A method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device in which liquid crystal is arranged in a space, wherein the two substrates have a substantially rectangular shape having four edges and four corners formed between the adjacent edges. a substrate, wherein the sealing member is formed with the closed loop from the start point end around the periphery of the display unit with a dispenser, further the end point end intersecting the starting end, the four corners method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device, characterized in that the end point end and the starting end to one of the parts is made form so as to be located. Liquid crystal driving terminals are arranged at two adjacent edges of the four edges, and the starting end and the corner are formed between the two edges facing the two edges. 6. The method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device according to claim 5 , wherein the sealing material is formed so that the end point end portion is located. 7. The method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device according to claim 5 , wherein a discharge amount of the sealing material by the dispenser is substantially constant from the start point end to the end point end.

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