JP2002207113A - Method for producing color filter substrate and apparatus therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for producing a color filter by which a color filter free from a void and a color mixture can be produced and to provide an apparatus therefor. SOLUTION: In the method for producing a color filter by an ink jet system, the drying of ink of a colored pixel part is accelerated in the middle of or right in the middle of a step for forming a colored part by ink jet to reduce the volume of the ink and the next drop of ink is imparted.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a color display liquid crystal element used for a color television, a personal computer, a pachinko game board, and the like, and a method of manufacturing the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, the development of personal computers,
In particular, with the development of portable personal computers, the demand for liquid crystal displays, especially color liquid crystal display devices, has been increasing. However, for further widespread use, it is essential to improve the performance such as contrast and color reproducibility, in addition to cost reduction. Therefore, in order to satisfy the demand for a low-cost, high-performance color filter, a method of manufacturing a color filter by an inkjet method has been proposed in order to compensate for the drawbacks of the conventional dyeing method, electrodeposition method, and pigment dispersion method.

The following are two methods of forming a color filter colored portion by an ink jet system.

(1) A region surrounded by a partition made of a black matrix is formed on a transparent substrate. Then, a colored portion is formed by applying a plurality of curable inks made of a curable resin composition to the region surrounded by the partition by an inkjet method and curing the curable ink.

(2) An ink receiving layer made of a photosensitive resin composition is formed on a transparent substrate, and is subjected to pattern exposure to form a region exhibiting ink receptivity and a region not exhibiting ink receptivity. Then, a colored portion is formed by applying a plurality of colored ink droplets to an area exhibiting ink receptivity by an inkjet method and curing the entire ink receiving layer.

[0006]

In the coloring step of the color filter manufacturing method of the above (1), a dye as a binder for adjusting the chromaticity and a curable resin having a role of surface flatness are provided in the pixel. It is necessary to input a certain amount.

As a means for introducing a solid component such as a dye or a curable resin into a colored portion by an ink jet method, (a) a method of ejecting a small amount of an ink having a high solid component concentration, and (b) a large amount of an ink having a low solid component concentration There are two ways of driving. In the method (a), white spots occur at the boundary between the colored portion and the black matrix, and color unevenness due to the distribution of the coloring density in the colored pixels becomes a problem. If the solid component concentration in the ink is high, non-discharge due to thickening of the ink and discharge failure at the start of discharge due to drying of the nozzle surface are likely to occur in the discharge of the ink jet. And color mixing, white spots,
Problems such as color unevenness also tend to occur. In the method (b), there is a problem of color mixing in which inks of adjacent pixels are mixed. Further, in the ejection property of the ink jet, a decrease in the solid component concentration in the ink is a good direction.

As described above, there is a trade-off between solving the problems of white spots, color unevenness, ink jetting performance and color mixing, and solving these problems is a major issue in improving the yield of high quality color filters. .

In the method (2) for producing a color filter, the case (1) is that no curable resin is required in the ink, that the ink spreads in the pixels, and that the ink is prevented from spreading. Unlike the case (1), there is a trade-off between the problems of white spots, color unevenness, and ink jetting performance, and there is a trade-off relationship, and solving these problems is a major issue in improving the yield of high quality color filters. It has become.

[0010]

Therefore, during or during the coloring step (forming a colored portion by inkjet), the drying of the ink in the pixel colored portion is promoted, the ink volume is reduced, and the next ink droplet is applied. Is a means for solving this problem. As a result, even if a large amount of ink having a low solid component concentration is injected into a pixel, color mixing can be prevented because the amount of the ink volume of the pixel coloring portion at which the ink volume is maximized is smaller than before.

At this time, it is preferable on the tact surface to color three colors at the same time. However, it is preferable to color one color at a time or, if a stripe-shaped color filter is used, to color even and odd rows to separate adjacent pixels. If the ink volumes are not maximized at the same time, the margin of color mixture becomes large.

As a means for drying the ink, it is preferable in terms of tact to apply hot air to the colored ink on the surface of the substrate on the ink jet apparatus, or to raise the temperature of the stage on which the substrate is mounted, and to carry out the step simultaneously with the coloring step.

Further, the substrate during the coloring step, which involves a large loss in terms of tact time, is taken out of the ink jet apparatus, and
A method in which the coloring portion is dried again in a curing furnace or a hot plate and then the coloring process is performed again is also possible.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS [Embodiment 1] Hereinafter, the first embodiment shown in FIG.
Each step will be described in detail by a method of manufacturing a stripe type color filter substrate having an RGB colored portion corresponding to a 2.1 inch SVGA liquid crystal panel.

FIG. 2 shows the steps of an embodiment of the method for manufacturing a color filter substrate according to the fifth invention of the present invention. In addition, (a) to (k) in FIG. 2 are multiple sectional views corresponding to the following steps a to k, and correspond to the cross section taken along the line aa ′ in FIG. (Step-a) The black matrix 2 on the glass substrate 1 is formed.

Glass substrate 1 (manufactured by Corning; 173)
7) was subjected to alkaline ultrasonic cleaning using a 2% aqueous sodium hydroxide solution, and then subjected to UV ozone treatment, and then a carbon black-containing resist material (Nippon Steel Chemical Co., Ltd .; negative resist ink for black matrix, V-259)
BK739P) was applied by a spin coater to a film thickness of 1 μm. Place this glass substrate on a hot plate for 8
The resist was temporarily cured by heating at 0 ° C. for 180 seconds.

DEEP-UV exposure apparatus (manufactured by Canon Inc .;
(PLA FA600), using a predetermined pattern mask for exposure to prochimity, followed by developing with a developing solution of an aqueous solution of sodium carbonate using a spin developing machine (manufactured by Takizawa Sangyo Co., Ltd.), and further rinsing with pure water. The developer was completely removed.

At this time, the width of the black matrix 2 in the X direction in FIG. 1 was 14.0 to 18.0 μm, and the width of the black matrix 2 in the Y direction in FIG. 1 was 30.0 μm.

(Steps b and c) Next, using the ink jet head 3, only one color curable ink is applied so as to fill the opening of the corresponding black matrix 2.
In FIG. 2B, coloring is performed from red 4a, but the order of the colors is not particularly limited.

About 27 drops of about 20 p1 ink droplets are applied to an opening having an area of about 100 μm × 300 μm to fill the entire opening of the black matrix 2 without overflowing ink from pixels. did it. Of course, since there is no ink in the pixel adjacent to red, there is no possibility of color mixing.

The cause of the color mixture largely depends on the partition and the conditions of the ink jet discharge. The higher the water repellency of the partition, the smaller the ink jet discharge speed and the discharge amount per droplet, the larger the margin for the color mixture. .

In the present invention, as an ink jet method, a bubble jet (registered trademark) type using an electrothermal converter or a piezo jet type using a piezoelectric element can be used as an energy generating element. The pattern can be set arbitrarily.

Incidentally, the curable ink of each color of R, G and B of the ink jet head 3 used in this embodiment is composed of a dye, a curable resin, an organic solvent and water.

(Step-d) After the steps-b and c are completed, the colored pixel portion is dried. In the first embodiment, 1
A drying step of 0 min was performed. In addition, examples of drying means include applying hot air to the surface of the substrate ink coloring portion, and using a hot plate.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a blower 9 for blowing hot air to the surface of the substrate ink colored portion on the ink jet apparatus.
It is preferable in terms of the tact surface to carry out the drying step while performing the coloring step. At this time, the drying step is proceeding simultaneously with the coloring steps b to j. The configuration of the blower is as follows. In order to prevent the airflow from the blower 9 from affecting the ink jet ejection and to recover the evaporated ink solvent, the blower 9 has the blower port 7 and the exhaust air in the area covered by the threshold plate 14. Preferably a mouth 8 is provided. Also, the coloring step and the drying step can be performed simultaneously by a method in which the surface temperature of the stage 6 on which the glass substrate is placed is higher than normal temperature.

(Steps e, f, g) The same steps as steps b, c, d are performed for coloring the green 4b. At this time, a red colored portion has already been formed, but color mixing is unlikely to occur because the ink volume has been reduced by the drying step as shown in FIG.

(Step-h, i, j) Coloring of blue 4c is performed in the same manner as in steps-b, c, d or steps-e, f, g.

After the step of coloring the pixel portion by the ink jet is completed, it is placed in an oven at 230 ° C. for 30 minutes to completely cure the curable ink in the pixel.

(Step-h) Normally, the protective layer 5 is formed on the color filter. As the protective layer 5, a resin composition layer of a photo-curing type, a thermosetting type, or a combination of heat and light, or an inorganic film formed by vapor deposition, sputtering, or the like can be used. In any case, any material can be used as long as it has transparency as a color filter substrate and can withstand the subsequent ITO forming step, alignment film forming step, and the like. The protective layer need not be formed if there is no problem in reliability.

According to the above-mentioned method, the margin of color mixing is greatly increased as compared with the case where no drying means is used during or during the conventional coloring step.

[Embodiment 2] FIG. 4 shows the steps of an embodiment of a method for manufacturing a color filter substrate according to the second invention of the present invention.
In addition, (a) to (h) in FIG. 4 are multiple sectional views corresponding to the following steps a to h, and correspond to the cross section taken along the line aa ′ in FIG.

(Step-a) A black matrix 2 is formed on a glass substrate 1 in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

(Steps b and c) Next, using the ink jet head 3, the curable inks 4a, 4a,
4b and 4c are provided so as to fill the openings of the black matrix 2 corresponding to each color. At this time, it is desirable that ink droplets do not get on the black matrix portion.

In the second embodiment, 100 μm × 300 μm
About nine ink drops of about 20 pl per drop were applied to an opening of a nearby area by an ink jet head so as to reduce the overlap.

(Step-d) After steps-b and c are completed, the colored pixel portion is dried. As the drying means, the process of Example 1
There is a method as described in d.

(Steps e, f, g) The drying step is performed to apply the next ink droplet to the pixel portion where the ink volume of the colored portion is reduced. The operation is performed in the same manner as in steps -b and c. It is also preferable to use a method in which the amount of ink supplied is gradually reduced as the amount of ink supplied to the pixel increases.

(Step-g) After completion of steps-e and f, step-d
The drying of the colored pixel portion is performed in the same manner as described above.

Steps -e, f and g are repeated until the dye concentration in the pixel and the curable resin reach a specified amount. In this example, nine drops of ink per pixel were colored in three separate steps with a drying step between them, and a specified amount of dye and curable resin could be applied almost uniformly to the pixel portion.

After the completion of the coloring step, the curable ink is cured by performing necessary processing such as light irradiation and heat treatment through a drying step as necessary.

(Step-h) The protective layer 5 is formed on the color filter in the same manner as in the step- (h) of the first embodiment.

[Embodiment 3] FIG. 5 shows the steps of an embodiment of a method for manufacturing a color filter substrate according to the third invention of the present invention.
In addition, (a) to (J) in FIG. 5 are multiple sectional views corresponding to the following steps a to j and correspond to the cross section taken along the line aa ′ in FIG.

(Step-a) A black matrix 2 is formed on a glass substrate 1. The black matrix 2 is formed by patterning a resist material containing carbon black into a predetermined shape by a photoresist method as described in Example 1 (step-a), or by sputtering a metal such as chromium or by vapor deposition. It is preferable that the film is formed by patterning into a predetermined shape.

(Step-b) Next, an ink receiving layer 10 is formed on the glass substrate 1 using a photosensitive resin composition. In the present invention, the photosensitive resin composition forming the ink receiving layer 10 has a property of exhibiting or eliminating ink receptivity by light irradiation or light irradiation and heat treatment. Specifically, acrylic resin, epoxy resin, amide resin,
A phenolic resin, a polystyrene resin, or the like is used in combination with a photoinitiator (crosslinking agent) as necessary.

The above photosensitive resin composition is spin-coated,
The ink-receiving layer 10 is applied to the glass substrate 1 by roll coating, bar coating, spray coating, dip coating, or the like, and prebaked as necessary.

The thickness of the ink receiving layer 10 is 0.3 to 0.3 when the color filter substrate of the present embodiment is used for a liquid crystal element.
It is about 3.0 μm.

(Step-c) Using the photomask 11,
The ink receiving layer 10 is subjected to pattern exposure to form a non-colored portion 12. In the present embodiment, the type that loses the ink receptivity upon exposure is shown.However, when an ink receiving layer is formed using a resin composition of a type that expresses the ink receptivity upon exposure, if the exposure is performed in the reverse pattern, good. Further, it is preferable that a component that causes the non-colored portion 12 to exhibit ink repellency is applied to the ink receiving layer so that the adjacent colored portions do not mix with each other during the application of the colored ink described below.

As shown in FIG. 5, the non-colored portion 12 is formed at a position overlapping the black matrix 2, and in particular, is formed so as to be narrower than the width of the black matrix 2 so that the colored portion 8 described later can be formed. It is formed so as to extend to a position overlapping with the black matrix 2, and white spots are prevented.

(Step-d, e) Inkjet head 3
, R, G and B colored inks 13a, 13b,
13c is applied to the unexposed portion (the region having ink receptivity) of the ink receiving layer 10 such that the colored ink spreads uniformly. Each unexposed portion is surrounded by a non-colored portion 12.

The R, G, and B colored inks of the ink jet head 3 used in this embodiment are dyes,
It consists of an organic solvent and water.

(Step-f) After the end of steps-d and e, the colored pixel portion is dried. As the drying means, step-d of Example 1
There is a method as described in.

(Steps g and h) The following ink droplets are applied to the pixel portion where the ink volume of the colored portion has been reduced by obtaining the drying process.
The operation is performed in the same manner as in steps -b and c. It is also preferable to use a method in which the amount of ink supplied is gradually reduced as the amount of ink supplied to the pixel increases.

(Step-i) After completion of steps-g and h, step-f
The drying of the colored pixel portion is performed in the same manner as described above. Steps -g, h,
i is repeated until the dye concentration in the pixel reaches a specified amount. After completion of the coloring step, a necessary step such as light irradiation and heat treatment is performed through a drying step as necessary to cure the entire ink receiving layer.

(Step-j) The protective layer 5 is formed on the color filter in the same manner as in the step- (h) of the first embodiment.

[0054]

As described above, according to the present invention, a color filter substrate free from defects, unevenness and color mixture can be easily manufactured, and a highly reliable color filter substrate and a high-quality color using the substrate can be obtained. A liquid crystal element capable of displaying can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

Fig. 1 Stripe type color filter diagram

FIG. 2 is a view for explaining a manufacturing process according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an ink jet device to which a blower is attached.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a manufacturing process according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a manufacturing process according to a third embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Glass substrate 2 Black matrix 3 Inkjet head 4a Curable ink RED 4b Curable ink GREEN 4c Curable ink BLUE 5 Protective layer 6 Inkjet device stage 7 Blow port 8 Exhaust port 9 Blower on inkjet device 10 Reception layer 11 Photomask 12 Non-colored portion 13a Colored ink RED 13b Colored ink GREEN 13c Colored ink BLUE 14 Threshold plate

Continued on the front page F term (reference) 2C056 FB01 HA46 HA47 2H048 BA11 BA43 BA45 BA48 BA64 BB24 BB44 2H091 FA02X FA02Y FA02Z FB02 FC01 FC22 LA12 LA15 LA16

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. A color filter comprising a step of applying a plurality of curable inks composed of a curable resin composition on a transparent substrate by an inkjet method to form a predetermined pattern, and a step of curing the curable ink. A method of manufacturing a color filter substrate, wherein drying of ink in a colored portion is promoted during a coloring process or during a coloring process, the volume of ink is reduced, and the next ink droplet is applied. . 2. A step of forming a partition having a predetermined pattern on a transparent substrate, and a step of applying a plurality of curable inks of a curable resin composition to a region surrounded by the partition by an inkjet method. And a step of curing the curable ink, wherein the drying of the ink in the colored portion is promoted during the coloring step or during the coloring step, the ink volume is reduced, and the A method for producing a color filter substrate, characterized by applying a droplet. 3. A step of forming an ink receiving layer made of a photosensitive resin composition on a transparent substrate, and a step of applying a plurality of colored inks to the ink receiving layer by an inkjet method to color a predetermined pattern. In the method for manufacturing a color filter substrate, comprising the step of curing the entire ink receiving layer, the drying of the ink in the colored portion is promoted during the coloring step or during the coloring step, and the ink volume is reduced to reduce the volume of the next ink droplet. And a method for manufacturing a color filter substrate. 4. A step of forming an ink receiving layer made of a photosensitive resin composition on a transparent substrate, and a step of pattern-exposing the ink receiving layer to form a region having an ink receiving property and a region not having the ink receiving property. A step of applying a plurality of colored inks to an area of the ink receiving layer exhibiting ink receptivity by an inkjet method to color the area, and a method of manufacturing a color filter substrate comprising a step of curing the entire ink receiving layer; A method for manufacturing a color filter substrate, wherein drying of ink in a colored portion is promoted during or during a coloring step, and the next ink droplet is applied by reducing the ink volume. 5. The method of manufacturing a color filter substrate according to claim 1, wherein the coloring step is performed by coloring one color at a time, and the ink of the colored portion is colored during the coloring step or during the coloring step for each color. A method for manufacturing a color filter substrate, wherein a drying step is performed. 6. The method for producing a color filter substrate according to claim 1, wherein the drying of the ink in the colored portion in the coloring step is performed by blowing air to the surface of the colored portion ink. 7. The method for manufacturing a color filter substrate according to claim 6, wherein the blowing to the surface of the colored portion ink in the coloring step is performed by a blower installed on an ink jet apparatus. 8. The method for manufacturing a color filter substrate according to claim 6, wherein the blowing to the surface of the colored portion ink in the coloring step is performed by hot air having a temperature of air equal to or higher than an ambient temperature. 9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the drying of the ink in the colored portion in the coloring step is performed by setting the surface temperature of the stage on which the glass substrate is placed to be higher than normal temperature.
The method for manufacturing a color filter substrate according to any one of the above. 10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the drying of the ink in the coloring portion in the coloring step is performed by a curing furnace.
6. The method for manufacturing a color filter substrate according to any one of items 5 to 5. 11. The method for manufacturing a color filter substrate according to claim 1, wherein the drying of the ink in the colored portion in the coloring step is performed using a hot plate. 12. An apparatus for manufacturing a color filter substrate, wherein the apparatus for manufacturing a color filter substrate has the method for manufacturing a color filter substrate according to claim 1. Description: