IP Library Granted Patent US 7,145,628
Granted Patent B2
US 7,145,628 · App. 09/855,148 · Granted Dec 5, 2006

Method for fabricating a liquid crystal panel comprising spacers having an initial size larger than an appropriate cell gap

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,145,628
App. No.
09/855,148
Granted
Dec 5, 2006
Kind
B2
Abstract

In a fabrication method of an LCD panel having a display area on which display area spacers 6 are arranged and employing the liquid crystal falling-drop method for filling the panel with liquid crystal, the display area spacer 6 is formed of an elastic material such as resin and has an initial size in a cell gap direction larger than an appropriate cell gap d 0 necessary to provide an appropriate liquid crystal display. An excess deformation of the panel to make the cell gap smaller than the appropriate cell gap d 0 after the liquid crystal display panel is put under atmospheric pressure is prevented by compressive stress of the display area spacers 6.

Claims (38)

1. A method for fabricating a liquid crystal display panel by the liquid crystal falling drop method, comprising the steps of:

forming a deformable seal member on at least one of a pair of opposing transparent substrates such that said seal member surrounds a display area of said liquid crystal display panel;

arranging first spacers on said display area on said substrate, said first spacer having an initial size in a cell gap direction larger than an appropriate cell gap necessary to fabricate an appropriate liquid crystal display;

dropping a volume of liquid crystal onto an area surrounded by said seal member on one of said transparent substrates;

forming a panel by sticking one of said transparent substrates on the other with said seal member in a vacuum chamber;

putting said panel under atmospheric pressure to deform said first spacers through a deformation of said panel due to a difference between said atmosphere pressure and a negative pressure inside said panel; and

hardening said seal member after an inner volume of said panel becomes equal to the volume of said liquid crystal,

wherein at least one of said first spacers is elastically deformed from an initial size thereof to a size corresponding to said appropriate cell gap before said seal member is deformed, and

wherein a relative value of an initial average size of said first spacers to said appropriate cell gap is within a range of 102.9% to 107.0%.

2. A method for fabricating a liquid crystal display panel, as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said seal member contains second spacers mixed therein, said second spacers being formed of a material, which is hardly deformed when it is pinched between said transparent substrates under atmospheric pressure.

3. A method for fabricating a liquid crystal display panel, as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said first spacers are deformed to the size corresponding to said appropriate cell gap.

4. A method for fabricating a liquid crystal display panel, as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the relative value is (105±2) %.

5. A method for fabricating a liquid crystal display panel by the liquid crystal falling drop method, comprising the steps of:

forming a deformable seal member on at least one of a pair of opposing transparent substrates such that said seal member surrounds a display area of said liquid crystal display panel;

arranging first spacers on said display area on said substrate, said first spacers having an initial size in a cell gap direction larger than an appropriate cell gap necessary to fabricate an appropriate liquid crystal display;

dropping a volume liquid crystal onto an area surrounded by said seal member on one of said transparent substrates;

forming a panel by sticking one of said transparent substrates on the other with said seal member in a vacuum chamber;

putting said panel under atmospheric pressure to deform said first spacers through a deformation of said panel without hardening said seal member, wherein excessive deformation of said panel due to atmospheric pressure is prevented by compressive stress of spacers located at a central region of said panel; and

hardening said seal member after an inner volume of said panel becomes equal to the volume of said liquid crystal,

wherein at least one of said first spacers are elastically deformed from an initial size thereof to a size corresponding to said appropriate cell gap before said seal member is deformed and said seal member contains second spacers mixed therein, said second spacers being formed of a material, which is hardly deformed when it is pinched between said transparent substrates under atmospheric pressure, and

wherein a relative value of an initial average size of said first spacers to said appropriate cell gap is within a range of 102.9% to 107.0%.

6. A method for fabricating a liquid crystal display panel by the liquid crystal falling drop method, comprising the steps of:

forming a deformable seal member on at least one of a pair of opposing transparent substrates such that said seal member surrounds a display area of said liquid crystal display panel;

arranging first spacers on said display area on said substrate, said first spacer having an initial size in a cell gap direction larger than an appropriate cell gap necessary to fabricate an appropriate liquid crystal display;

dropping a volume liquid crystal onto an area surrounded by said seal member on one of said transparent substrates;

forming a panel by sticking one of said transparent substrates on the other with said seal member in a vacuum chamber;

putting said panel under atmospheric pressure to deform said first spacers through a deformation of said panel without hardening said seal member, wherein excessive deformation of said panel due to atmospheric pressure is prevented by compressive stress of spacers located at a central region of said panel; and

hardening said seal member after an inner volume of said panel becomes equal to the volume of said liquid crystal,

wherein at least one of said first spacers is elastically deformed from an initial size thereof to a size corresponding to said appropriate cell gap before said seal member is deformed and said first spacer is deformed to the size corresponding to said appropriate cell gap, and

wherein a relative value of an initial average size of said first spacers to said appropriate cell gap is within a range of 102.9% to 107.0%.

7. A method for fabricating a liquid crystal display panel by the liquid crystal falling drop method, comprising the steps of:

forming a deformable seal member on at least one of a pair of opposing transparent substrates such that said seal member surrounds a display area of said liquid crystal display panel;

arranging first spacers on said display area on said substrate, said first spacer having an initial size in a cell gap direction larger than an appropriate cell gap necessary to fabricate an appropriate liquid crystal display;

dropping a volume liquid crystal onto an area surrounded by said seal member on one of said transparent substrates;

forming a panel by sticking one of said transparent substrates on the other with said seal member in a vacuum chamber without hardening said seal member;

putting said panel under atmospheric pressure to deform said first spacers together with said liquid crystal through a deformation of said panel such that said deformation of said panel proceeds in a center portion of said panel at higher speed than that in a peripheral portion thereof due to a difference between atmospheric pressure and a negative pressure inside said panel, wherein said first spacers located at a central portion of said panel is deformed firstly together with said liquid crystal to provide an appropriate cell gap prior to said seal member being deformed; and

hardening said seal member after an inner volume of said panel becomes equal to the volume of said liquid crystal, and

wherein a relative value of an initial average size of said first spacers to said appropriate cell gap is within a range of 102.9% to 107.0%.

Assignments (3)
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jul 14, 2022
From: VISTA PEAK VENTURES, LLC
To: GETNER FOUNDATION LLC
Reel/Frame 060654/0430 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 28, 2018
From: GETNER FOUNDATION LLC
To: VISTA PEAK VENTURES, LLC
Reel/Frame 045469/0023 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 10, 2011
From: NEC CORPORATION
To: GETNER FOUNDATION LLC
Reel/Frame 026254/0381 →