JP2011039467A - Method for manufacturing liquid crystal display device - Google Patents

Abstract

A liquid crystal display device manufacturing method capable of reducing a decrease in yield of a liquid crystal display device, facilitating process management, and improving performance such as contrast.
Liquid crystal is applied to a TFT substrate and a CF substrate so that a liquid crystalline polymer component is contained in at least one component and a block polymer dissolved in a solvent is disposed on the side opposite to the substrate. The polymer coating steps 130 and 140, the template in which the orientation direction is defined, and the TFT substrate 10 and the CF substrate 20 are each provided with a gap so as to face each other through a low molecular liquid crystal, and removed from the temperature above the glass transition point of the liquid crystalline polymer component. Template alignment steps 150 and 160 for aligning the liquid crystalline polymer component in a prescribed direction by cooling, and UV curing step 170 for fixing the alignment by irradiating UV between the template and the substrate to cure the block polymer. 180 and an appropriate liquid crystal injection step 230 for filling the liquid crystal between the TFT substrate 10 and the CF substrate 20.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device that uses a block polymer containing a liquid crystalline polymer component as at least one component as an alignment film and uses a template to achieve uniform alignment by a non-contact method. .

  A method of manufacturing a conventional liquid crystal display device will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a process of a conventional method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a rubbing process of a conventional method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device.

  In FIG. 6, an upper step 910A to a step 950 and a lower step 910B to a step 960 may process the upper step and the lower step simultaneously, or after the upper step or the lower step, the lower step or the upper step. The process may be processed.

  In the cleaning process 910A, the TFT substrate 10 that has completed the TFT (Thin Film Transistor) array process is first cleaned when it is put into the cell process.

  In the cleaning process 910B, the CF substrate 20 that has completed the CF (Color Filter) generation process is first cleaned when it is put into the cell process.

  Next, the alignment film forming steps 920A and 920B include three steps: a printing step, a pre-baking step, and a main curing step.

  In the printing process, an alignment film (polyimide dissolved in a solvent) is applied to the TFT substrate 10 and the CF substrate 20 by a flexographic printing method or the like to form an alignment film.

  In the pre-baking step, heating is performed at about 60 to 100 ° C. for several minutes in order to remove the solvent from the printed alignment film. Most are hot plate type or oven type.

  In the main curing step, heating is performed at several hundred and several tens of degrees Celsius for the final polymerization.

  Next, in rubbing process 930A, 930B, in order to determine the alignment direction (orientation direction) of the liquid crystal, as shown in FIG. 7, a roller 92 around which a cloth (buff material) 93 such as cotton or rayon is wound is used. The surfaces of the alignment films 91 formed on the substrate 10 and the CF substrate 20 are rubbed.

  Next, in the cleaning processes 940A and 940B, the fabric hair and the scraped scraps of the alignment film generated in the rubbing processes 930A and 930B are washed away.

  Next, in a conductive material application step 950, a conductive material such as an Ag paste is applied to the TFT substrate 10 in a dot shape in order to establish conduction between the TFT substrate 10 and the CF substrate 20. Note that this is not necessary in the IPS mode.

  In a seal application step 960, a sealant is applied to the CF substrate 20 so as to surround the region where the liquid crystal enters. The sealing agent also plays a role of bonding the TFT substrate 10 and the CF substrate 20 together. After applying the sealing agent, pre-baking may be performed at about 90 ° C. for several minutes. There are a thermosetting type and a UV (ultraviolet ray) curing type, but when liquid crystal dropping injection is performed, a UV curing type sealing agent is often used.

  Next, the liquid crystal dropping / injecting step 970 includes two steps, a liquid crystal dropping step and an overlaying step.

  In the liquid crystal dropping step, a required amount of liquid crystal is dropped on the CF substrate 20.

  In the superposition process, the CF substrate 20 onto which the liquid crystal is dropped and the TFT substrate 10 are precisely superposed under vacuum. After the superposition, the substrate is taken out into the atmosphere, and is crushed to the target cell GAP at atmospheric pressure. Thereafter, the sealant is semi-cured by irradiating the sealant with ultraviolet rays (UV).

  In the heating step 980, heating is performed at about 150 ° C. for several tens of minutes to fully cure the sealant and to realign the liquid crystal from the isotropic phase to the liquid crystal phase, thereby improving alignment stability.

  As a related prior art document, Patent Document 1, which describes a manufacturing method of a liquid crystal display device in which a liquid crystal polymer that is not a block polymer is used as an alignment film and a magnetic field is applied in a state where the liquid crystal is not filled, is a block copolymer There is Patent Document 2 in which is described.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-54381 JP 2004-124088 A

  As described above, in the conventional method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device, a liquid crystal alignment film material is applied to the opposing surfaces of a pair of substrates, and the applied material is dried and cured to form an alignment film. The surface was rubbed to provide orientation characteristics. Therefore, defects such as rubbing scratches and foreign matters due to the rubbing processes 930A and 930B occur, and the yield is reduced. Further, the rubbing processes 930A and 930B have a problem that process control is difficult because it is difficult to quantify the control factors. Furthermore, there has been a problem that performance such as contrast of the liquid crystal display device is deteriorated due to rubbing scratches, rubbing direction misalignment, and misalignment when the TFT substrate 10 and the CF substrate 20 are overlapped.

  In addition, when performing two or more alignment divisions for the purpose of improving the viewing angle characteristics peculiar to a liquid crystal display device, it is necessary to repeat the process for providing the alignment characteristics according to the number of divisions in the conventional method. It was. As a result, when the alignment division is performed, in addition to the above-described problems, a very large number of processes are required, and thus there are problems such as an increase in capital investment, a running cost, and a decrease in throughput.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and its purpose is to reduce a decrease in the yield of the liquid crystal display device, facilitate process management, and performance such as contrast of the liquid crystal display device. The manufacturing method of the liquid crystal display device which can improve is obtained.

  The method for producing a liquid crystal display device according to the present invention comprises a liquid crystalline polymer component as at least one component, a UV curing functional component in the liquid crystalline polymer component, and a block polymer dissolved in a solvent, the liquid crystalline polymer A liquid crystal polymer coating step for coating the first substrate and the second substrate so that the component is on the opposite side of the substrate, a template defining the orientation direction and the first substrate coated with the block polymer, By providing a gap between the template and the second substrate coated with the block polymer, facing each other through a low molecular liquid crystal, and removing from the first predetermined temperature above the glass transition point of the liquid crystalline polymer component A template alignment step of aligning the liquid crystalline polymer component in a specified direction by the alignment force of the low-molecular liquid crystal; A UV curing step in which the block polymer is UV-cured by irradiating ultraviolet rays in between, and the orientation is fixed; and a seal coating step in which a sealant is applied to the second substrate to surround a region where the liquid crystal enters; A liquid crystal dropping injection process for filling and forming liquid crystal between the first substrate and the second substrate, and a heating process for heating at a second predetermined temperature for a predetermined time are provided.

  According to the method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device according to the present invention, by using a liquid crystalline polymer as an alignment film and performing an alignment treatment with a template, by realizing high alignment by a non-contact and inexpensive method, It is possible to obtain a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device that can reduce a decrease in yield of the liquid crystal display device, facilitate process management, and improve performance such as contrast of the liquid crystal display device.

It is a figure which shows the process of the manufacturing method of the liquid crystal display device which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the liquid crystal polymer application | coating process of the manufacturing method of the liquid crystal display device which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the template orientation process and UV hardening process of the manufacturing method of the liquid crystal display device which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the process of the manufacturing method of the liquid crystal display device which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the heating / cooling process and UV hardening process of the manufacturing method of the liquid crystal display device which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the process of the manufacturing method of the conventional liquid crystal display device. It is a figure which shows the rubbing process of the manufacturing method of the conventional liquid crystal display device.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
A method of manufacturing the liquid crystal display device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing steps of a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. In the first embodiment, the case where both the TFT substrate 10 and the CF substrate 20 are aligned using the template 30 will be described. In addition, in each figure, the same code | symbol shows the same or equivalent part.

  In FIG. 1, the manufacturing method of the liquid crystal display device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention includes a cleaning process 110, a cleaning process 120, a liquid crystal polymer coating process 130, a liquid crystal polymer coating process 140, and a template alignment process. 150, template orientation step 160, UV curing step 170, UV curing step 180, cleaning step 190, cleaning step 200, conductive material applying step 210, seal applying step 220, liquid crystal dropping injection step 230, , A heating step 240 is provided.

  In FIG. 1, the upper step 110 to the step 210 and the lower step 120 to the step 220 may process the upper step and the lower step simultaneously, or after the upper step or the lower step, the lower step or the upper step. The process may be processed. In FIG. 1, the upper steps 110 to 210 are performed on the TFT substrate 10 and the lower steps 120 to 220 are performed on the CF substrate 20. However, the reverse is also possible, that is, the upper steps are performed on the CF substrate 20. Steps 110 to 210 may be performed, and the lower step 120 to step 220 may be performed on the TFT substrate 10.

  Next, the operation of each process of the manufacturing method of the liquid crystal display device according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a liquid crystal polymer coating step in the method of manufacturing the liquid crystal display device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Moreover, FIG. 3 is a figure which shows the template orientation process and UV hardening process of the manufacturing method of the liquid crystal display device which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention.

  First, in the cleaning process 110 of FIG. 1, the TFT substrate (array substrate) 10 that has completed the TFT (Thin Film Transistor) array process is first cleaned when it is put into the cell process.

  Further, in the cleaning process 120, the CF substrate (color filter substrate) 20 that has completed the CF (Color Filter) generation process is first cleaned when it is put into the cell process.

  Next, the liquid crystal polymer coating steps 130 and 140 are composed of three steps: a coating step, a pre-baking step, and a main curing step.

  In the coating step, a liquid crystalline polymer dissolved in a solvent (a block polymer in which a liquid crystalline polymer component has a UV curing function component) is applied to the TFT substrate 10 and the CF substrate 20 as an alignment film.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, a block polymer 1 containing a liquid crystalline polymer component as at least one component is used. Further, as shown in FIG. 2B, the block polymer 1 and the substrate surface are designed so that the liquid crystalline polymer component faces the side opposite to the substrates 10 and 20 (liquid crystal side).

  As shown in FIGS. 2 (c) and 2 (d), the component (liquid crystalline polymer component) 1a for aligning the liquid crystal faces upward, that is, faces the side opposite to the substrates 10 and 20 (liquid crystal side). . If necessary, the liquid crystalline polymer component 1a is raised by applying to the substrates 10 and 20 a substance (interface adjustment film) 2 that is compatible with the components 1b and 1c different from the component 1a for aligning the liquid crystal. Realize facing. FIG. 2 (e) shows an example in which the component (liquid crystalline polymer component) 1a for aligning the liquid crystal does not face upward.

  In the pre-baking step, heating is performed at about 60 to 100 ° C. for several minutes in order to remove the solvent from the applied liquid crystalline polymer (block polymer in which the liquid crystalline polymer component has a UV curing function component). Most are hot plate type or oven type.

  In the main curing step, heating is performed at several hundreds of degrees Celsius for several tens of degrees in order to improve the adhesion between the block polymer 1 and the glass substrate.

  Next, in the template alignment step 150, a gap of several μm is provided between the template 30 defining the alignment direction and the TFT substrate 10 coated with the liquid crystalline polymer so as to face each other through the low molecular liquid crystal 3 </ b> A. By removing the temperature from a temperature equal to or higher than the glass transition point Tg of the molecules, the low-molecular liquid crystal 3A is aligned in the specified direction, and the liquid crystalline polymer is also aligned in the specified direction by the alignment force of the low-molecular liquid crystal 3A. Note that the low-molecular liquid crystal 3A used for alignment is different from the low-molecular liquid crystal 3 used for original display, and only the liquid crystal component can be separated and recovered and reused in the cleaning steps 190 and 200. Is possible.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, after providing a gap of several μm between the template 30 defining the orientation direction and the TFT substrate 10 coated with the liquid crystalline polymer and bonding them through the low molecular liquid crystal 3A, The liquid crystalline polymer component is heated at a temperature equal to or higher than the glass transition point Tg of, for example, 150 ° C. for 30 minutes and then cooled to room temperature at 1 ° C./min. The template 30 may be anything as long as it can anchor the low-molecular liquid crystal and define the orientation direction (rubbing substrate, metal, resin, ceramics, rubber, etc., or processing by coating or nanoimprinting), for example, a glass substrate It is like having a minute groove in a certain direction.

  Similarly, in the template alignment step 160, a gap of several μm is provided between the template 30 defining the alignment direction and the CF substrate 20 coated with the liquid crystalline polymer, and the liquid crystal is bonded via the low molecular liquid crystal 3A. The low molecular liquid crystal 3A is aligned in a specified direction by removing the temperature from a temperature equal to or higher than the glass transition point Tg of the conductive polymer, and the liquid crystalline polymer is also aligned in the specified direction by the alignment force of the low molecular liquid crystal 3A.

  Next, in the UV curing processes 170 and 180, when uniform alignment is obtained, the liquid crystal polymer (block polymer) is irradiated by irradiating ultraviolet rays (UV) between the template 30 and the substrates 10 and 20, respectively. UV cure to fix orientation. That is, the liquid crystal polymer is given a UV curing function, and after obtaining uniform alignment, UV curing is performed to enhance alignment stability.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, the block polymer is provided with a UV curing functional component, and after obtaining a uniform orientation by template orientation, for example, irradiation with ultraviolet rays (UV) of several hundred to several tens of thousands mJ (millijoule) is performed. Then, UV-curing improves alignment stability. This UV irradiation is performed at a temperature lower than the glass transition point Tg of the liquid crystalline polymer component and the NI point of the liquid crystal to fix the alignment. The UV irradiation may be performed from the template 30 side or from the substrates 10 and 20 side. Further, it may be performed from both the template 30 side and the substrates 10 and 20 side.

  Next, in the cleaning steps 190 and 200, the TFT substrate 10 and the CF substrate 20 that have completed the template alignment steps 150 and 160 and the UV curing steps 170 and 180 are cleaned. At this point, the liquid crystal 3A can be reused by separating and recovering the liquid crystal 3A used for aligning the liquid crystalline polymer from the cleaning liquid.

  Next, in a conducting material application process 210, a conducting material such as an Ag paste is applied to the TFT substrate 10 in a dot shape in order to establish electrical connection between the TFT substrate 10 and the CF substrate 20. Note that this is not necessary in the IPS mode.

  In the seal application step 220, a sealant is applied to the CF substrate 20 so as to surround the region where the liquid crystal enters. The sealing agent also plays a role of bonding the TFT substrate 10 and the CF substrate 20 together. After applying the sealing agent, pre-baking may be performed at about 90 ° C. for several minutes. There are a thermosetting type and a UV (ultraviolet ray) curing type, but when liquid crystal dropping injection is performed, a UV curing type sealing agent is often used.

  Next, the liquid crystal dropping / injecting step 230 includes two steps of a liquid crystal dropping step and an overlaying step.

  In the liquid crystal dropping step, a required amount of liquid crystal is dropped on the CF substrate 20.

  In the superposition process, the CF substrate 20 onto which the liquid crystal is dropped and the TFT substrate 10 are precisely superposed under vacuum. After the superposition, the substrate is taken out into the atmosphere, and is crushed to the target cell GAP at atmospheric pressure. Thereafter, the sealant is semi-cured by irradiating the sealant with ultraviolet rays (UV).

  And in the heating process 240, it heats for several tens of minutes at about 150 degreeC, and a sealing agent is main-cured. That is, it heats more than the temperature which a sealing agent hardens | cures.

  According to the method of manufacturing the liquid crystal display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, since the alignment process is performed by non-contact alignment, there is no damage due to rubbing, and the yield and contrast can be improved. In addition, since the template orientation steps 150 and 160 can easily quantify the control factors, the process management is relatively simple. Further, when a block polymer is used as the liquid crystalline polymer, the uniform orientation is improved. When this block polymer is used, the block polymer and the substrate surface are designed so that the liquid crystal component faces the low molecular liquid crystal side (the side opposite to the substrate). Also, by forming a plurality of micro patterns with different orientation directions on the template 30, a plurality of orientation patterns with different orientation directions can be transferred without contact and without repeating a plurality of photolithographic steps and rubbing steps. It is possible to easily perform orientation division. Further, since the liquid crystalline polymer has a UV curing function and is crosslinked without using a monomer or an initiator, there is no problem that the monomer or the initiator remains in the liquid crystal, and a decrease in reliability can be prevented. The method for manufacturing the liquid crystal display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention can also be applied to a monochrome LCD (liquid crystal display device) or a passive type LCD such as STN. In addition, although there is a conventional example in which magnetic field alignment is performed in order to align the polymer liquid crystal, the present application does not perform magnetic field alignment.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
A method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a process of a manufacturing method of a liquid crystal display device according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. In the second embodiment, a case where alignment is performed using a rubbed substrate (either one of the TFT substrate 10 and the CF substrate 20) as a template will be described.

  4, another manufacturing method of the liquid crystal display device according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes a cleaning process 110, a cleaning process 120, a liquid crystal polymer coating process 140, an alignment film forming process 250, and a rubbing process. 260, a cleaning process 270, a conducting material application process 210, a seal application process 220, a liquid crystal dropping injection process 230, a heating / cooling process 240, and a UV curing process 280 are provided.

  In FIG. 4, the upper process 110 to the process 210 and the lower process 120 to the process 220 may process the upper process and the lower process simultaneously, or after the upper process or the lower process, the lower process or the upper process. The process may be processed. In FIG. 4, the upper steps 110 to 210 are performed on the TFT substrate 10 and the lower steps 120 to 220 are performed on the CF substrate 20, but may be reversed, that is, the upper steps are performed on the CF substrate 20. Steps 110 to 210 may be performed, and the lower step 120 to step 220 may be performed on the TFT substrate 10.

  Next, the operation of each process of the manufacturing method of the liquid crystal display device according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a heating / cooling process and a UV curing process in the method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

  First, in the cleaning process 110 of FIG. 4, the TFT substrate (array substrate) 10 that has completed the TFT (Thin Film Transistor) array process is first cleaned when it is put into the cell process.

  Further, in the cleaning process 120, the CF substrate (color filter substrate) 20 that has completed the CF (Color Filter) generation process is first cleaned when it is put into the cell process.

  Next, the liquid crystal polymer coating step 140 includes three steps: a coating step, a pre-baking step, and a main curing step.

  In the coating step, a liquid crystalline polymer dissolved in a solvent (a block polymer obtained by adding a UV curing functional component to a liquid crystalline polymer component) is applied to the CF substrate 20 as an alignment film.

  In the pre-baking step, heating is performed at about 60 to 100 ° C. for several minutes in order to remove the solvent from the applied liquid crystalline polymer (block polymer in which the liquid crystalline polymer component has a UV curing function component). Most are hot plate type or oven type.

  In the main curing step, heating is performed at several hundreds of degrees Celsius for several tens of degrees in order to improve the adhesion between the block polymer 1 and the glass substrate.

  The alignment film forming step 250 includes three steps: a printing step, a pre-baking step, and a main curing step.

  In the printing process, an alignment film (polyimide (PI) 4 dissolved in a solvent) 4 is applied to the TFT substrate 10 by a flexographic printing method or the like to form an alignment film.

  In the prebaking step, heating is performed at about 60 to 100 ° C. for several minutes in order to remove the solvent from the printed alignment film 4. Most are hot plate type or oven type.

  In the main curing step, heating is performed at several hundred and several tens of degrees Celsius for the final polymerization.

  Next, in the rubbing process 260, in order to determine the alignment direction (orientation direction) of the liquid crystal, as shown in FIG. 7, a roller 92 around which a cloth (buff material) 93 such as cotton or rayon is wound is used. The surface of the alignment film 4 formed in the step is rubbed.

  Next, in the cleaning process 270, the fabric hair and the scraped scraps of the alignment film 4 generated in the rubbing process 260 are washed away.

  Next, in a conducting material application process 210, a conducting material such as an Ag paste is applied to the TFT substrate 10 in a dot shape in order to establish electrical connection between the TFT substrate 10 and the CF substrate 20. Note that this is not necessary in the IPS mode.

  In the seal application step 220, a sealant is applied to the CF substrate 20 so as to surround the region where the liquid crystal enters. The sealing agent also plays a role of bonding the TFT substrate 10 and the CF substrate 20 together. After applying the sealing agent, pre-baking may be performed at about 90 ° C. for several minutes. There are a thermosetting type and a UV (ultraviolet ray) curing type, but when liquid crystal dropping injection is performed, a UV curing type sealing agent is often used.

  Next, the liquid crystal dropping / injecting step 230 includes two steps of a liquid crystal dropping step and an overlaying step.

  In the liquid crystal dropping step, a required amount of liquid crystal is dropped on the CF substrate 20.

  In the superposition process, the CF substrate 20 onto which the liquid crystal is dropped and the TFT substrate 10 are precisely superposed under vacuum. After the superposition, the substrate is taken out into the atmosphere, and is crushed to the target cell GAP at atmospheric pressure. Thereafter, the sealant is semi-cured by irradiating the sealant with ultraviolet rays (UV).

  Next, in the heating / cooling step 240, heating is performed at about 150 ° C. for several tens of minutes, the sealant is fully cured, and the cooling agent is removed to achieve non-contact orientation.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, after the liquid crystal 3 is filled, the liquid crystal polymer component is heated at a temperature equal to or higher than the glass transition point Tg, for example, at 150 ° C. for 30 minutes and then cooled to room temperature at 1 ° C./min. Here, the rubbed TFT substrate 10 is used as a template for orientation.

  In the UV curing step 280, when the uniform alignment is obtained, the liquid crystal polymer (block polymer) is UV-cured by fixing the alignment by fixing the ultraviolet rays (UV) between the substrates 10 and 20. To do.

  As shown in FIG. 5B, the block polymer is provided with a UV curing functional component to obtain a uniform orientation, and then irradiated with ultraviolet rays (UV) of several hundred to several tens of thousands mJ (millijoules), for example. Curing increases alignment stability. This UV irradiation is performed at a temperature lower than the glass transition point Tg of the liquid crystalline polymer component and the NI point of the liquid crystal to fix the alignment. UV irradiation may be performed from the TFT substrate 10 side or from the CF substrate 20 side. Further, it may be performed from both sides of the TFT substrate 10 side and the CF substrate 20 side.

  According to the method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device according to the second embodiment of the present invention, when a substrate rubbed on only one side is used as a template, the template alignment process can be performed in the heating / cooling step 240 after the liquid crystal is dropped. (Non-contact orientation only on one substrate). In the method using a substrate that is rubbed on only one side as a template, rubbing scratches on one side can be reduced, so that an improvement in yield can be expected. Further, since the alignment direction of the other substrate coincides with the alignment direction of the rubbing substrate, there is no displacement of the alignment axis, and an improvement in contrast can be expected. Further, when a block polymer is used as the liquid crystalline polymer, the uniform orientation is improved. When this block polymer is used, the block polymer and the substrate surface are designed so that the liquid crystal component faces the low molecular liquid crystal side (the side opposite to the substrate). Further, since the liquid crystalline polymer is allowed to have a UV curing function and is crosslinked without using a monomer or an initiator, there is no problem that the monomer or the initiator remains in the liquid crystal, thereby preventing a decrease in reliability. The method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device according to the second embodiment of the present invention can also be applied to a black-and-white LCD (liquid crystal display device) or a passive type LCD such as STN. In addition, although there is a conventional example in which magnetic field alignment is performed in order to align the polymer liquid crystal, the present application does not perform magnetic field alignment.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
As a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention, a case where two or more alignment divisions are performed for the purpose of improving the viewing angle characteristic unique to the liquid crystal display device will be described. In the first and second embodiments, the liquid crystal display device is provided with alignment characteristics by using a template having one alignment defining direction on the same plane.

  However, a liquid crystal display element having only one orientation defining direction on the same plane has a problem that the viewing angle is narrow, and in order to improve the viewing angle characteristics, orientation division is performed in two or more directions. Is effective. Even when such alignment division is performed, the template alignment proposed in the present invention can be easily applied. Specifically, for example, as a template used in the template alignment steps 150 and 160 in the first embodiment, a template having two or more alignment defining directions on the same plane may be prepared in advance. It is done.

  In order to perform alignment division by a method using a conventional rubbing process, it is necessary to repeatedly perform a process for imparting alignment characteristics according to the number of divisions. However, as in the third embodiment, it is not necessary to repeat the processing steps by performing alignment division using a template having two or more alignment defining directions on the same plane. As a result, problems in the conventional method such as an increase in capital investment, running cost, or a decrease in throughput can be solved.

  According to the method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention, alignment division can be realized without performing rubbing treatment by using a template having two or more alignment defining directions on the same plane. . Since the alignment treatment is performed by non-contact alignment, there is no damage due to rubbing, and the yield and contrast can be improved. Further, the orientation division is performed in the same process as that shown in the first embodiment without repeating the process related to the divisional alignment only by using a template having two or more orientation defining directions on the same plane. A liquid crystal display device can be manufactured, and a reduction in throughput can be prevented.

As described above, the present invention uses a liquid crystal polymer (block polymer in which a liquid crystal polymer component is provided with a UV curing function component) as an alignment film, and aligns with a template, thereby making it a non-contact and inexpensive method. The technical feature is that it achieves high orientation. In particular, by using a liquid crystalline polymer as the alignment film, a sufficiently uniform alignment that cannot be obtained when using a conventionally known material such as polyimide, SiO ₂ , or ITO as the alignment film is realized. Yes. Furthermore, by creating a template having two or more alignment defining directions on the same plane, the present invention can be easily applied to the manufacture of alignment-divided liquid crystal display devices.

  1 block polymer, 1a liquid crystalline polymer component, 2 interface adjusting film, 3 low molecular liquid crystal, 3A low molecular liquid crystal, 4 alignment film, 10 TFT substrate, 20 CF substrate, 110 cleaning process, 120 cleaning process, 130 liquid crystal polymer coating Process, 140 Liquid crystal polymer coating process, 150 Template alignment process, 160 Template alignment process, 170 UV curing process, 180 UV curing process, 190 Cleaning process, 200 Cleaning process, 210 Conductive material coating process, 220 Seal coating process, 230 Liquid crystal Drop injection process, 240 heating process, 250 alignment film formation process, 260 rubbing process, 270 cleaning process, 280 UV curing process.

Claims (14)

At least one component includes a liquid crystalline polymer component, the liquid crystalline polymer component has a UV curing functional component, and a block polymer dissolved in a solvent is disposed so that the liquid crystalline polymer component is opposite to the substrate. A liquid crystal polymer coating step for coating the first substrate and the second substrate;
A gap is provided in each of the template defining the orientation direction and the first substrate coated with the block polymer, and the template and the second substrate coated with the block polymer to face each other through a low-molecular liquid crystal. A template alignment step of aligning the liquid crystalline polymer component in a prescribed direction by the alignment force of the low-molecular liquid crystal by removing from the first predetermined temperature above the glass transition point of the polymer component;
UV curing step of UV-curing the block polymer by irradiating ultraviolet rays between the template and the substrate, and fixing the orientation;
A seal application step of applying a sealant to the second substrate in order to surround a region where the liquid crystal enters;
A liquid crystal dropping injection step of filling and forming liquid crystal between the first substrate and the second substrate;
And a heating step of heating at a second predetermined temperature for a predetermined time. The method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, further comprising a first cleaning step of cleaning the first substrate and the second substrate before the liquid crystal polymer coating step. The liquid crystal polymer coating step includes
An application step of applying the block polymer to the first substrate and the second substrate;
A pre-baking step of heating at a third predetermined temperature for several minutes in order to drive off the solvent from the applied block polymer;
The method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, further comprising a main curing step of heating at a fourth predetermined temperature for several tens of minutes in order to improve adhesion between the block polymer and the glass substrate. The conductive material applying step of applying a conductive material to the first substrate in order to establish conduction between the first substrate and the second substrate after the UV curing step. 2. A method for producing a liquid crystal display device according to 1. The liquid crystal dropping injection step
A liquid crystal dropping step of dropping a required amount of liquid crystal on the second substrate;
The method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, further comprising an overlaying step of overlaying the second substrate onto which the liquid crystal is dropped and the first substrate in a vacuum. The method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, further comprising a second cleaning step of cleaning the first substrate and the second substrate after the UV curing step. An alignment film forming step of forming an alignment film on the first substrate;
A rubbing step of rubbing the surface of the alignment film formed on the first substrate;
At least one component includes a liquid crystalline polymer component, the liquid crystalline polymer component has a UV curing functional component, and a block polymer dissolved in a solvent is disposed so that the liquid crystalline polymer component is opposite to the substrate. A liquid crystal polymer coating step for coating the second substrate;
A seal application step of applying a sealant to the second substrate in order to surround a region where the liquid crystal enters;
A liquid crystal dropping injection step of filling and forming liquid crystal between the first substrate and the second substrate;
A heating / cooling step of heating and cooling for a predetermined time at a first predetermined temperature not lower than the glass transition point of the liquid crystalline polymer component;
And a UV curing step in which the block polymer is UV-cured by irradiating ultraviolet rays between the substrates to fix the alignment, and a method for producing a liquid crystal display device. 8. The liquid crystal display according to claim 7, further comprising a first cleaning step of cleaning the first substrate and the second substrate before the alignment film forming step and the liquid crystal polymer coating step. Device manufacturing method. The liquid crystal polymer coating step includes
An application step of applying the block polymer to the second substrate;
A pre-baking step of heating at a second predetermined temperature for several minutes in order to remove the solvent from the applied block polymer;
The method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device according to claim 7, further comprising: a main curing step of heating for several tens of minutes at a third predetermined temperature in order to improve adhesion between the block polymer and the glass substrate. The conductive material applying step of applying a conductive material to the first substrate in order to establish conduction between the first substrate and the second substrate after the rubbing step. Liquid crystal display device manufacturing method. The liquid crystal dropping injection step
A liquid crystal dropping step of dropping a required amount of liquid crystal on the second substrate;
The method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device according to claim 7, further comprising an overlaying step of overlaying the second substrate onto which the liquid crystal is dropped and the first substrate in a vacuum. The method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device according to claim 7, further comprising a second cleaning step of cleaning the first substrate after the rubbing step. The first substrate is an array substrate and the second substrate is a color filter substrate, or the first substrate is a color filter substrate and the second substrate is an array substrate. Item 13. A method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device according to any one of items 1 to 12. The liquid crystal display device according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the template alignment step performs alignment division by using a template having two or more alignment defining directions on the same plane. Manufacturing method.

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