Liquid crystal material processing device, method of processing liquid crystal material, method of manufacturing liquid crystal display panel, and liquid crystal display device

• US 10,456,710 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2016
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Japan Display Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Japan Display Incorporated
• Inventors: Tsukane, Midori, Suzuki, Daiichi, Saeki, Yoshifumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Cooley, Charles
• Application Number:
  US15/198,667
• Publication Number:
  US 20170014732A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,216 Days
• Field of Search: 366139
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 11/0446 Juxtaposition of mixers-settlers
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 11/0492 Applications, solvents used
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 23/803 Venting, degassing or ventilating of gases, fumes or toxic vapours from the mixture
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 33/70 Mixers specially adapted for working at sub- or super-atmospheric pressure, e.g. combined with de-foaming
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 35/189 Venting, degassing or ventilating of gases, fumes or toxic vapours during mixing
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1303 Apparatus specially adapted to the manufacture of LCDs
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1341 Filling or closing of cells
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13415 Drop filling process

Abstract

According to one embodiment, the liquid crystal material processing device includes a syringe containing contents composed of a liquid crystal material and the like, having a distal end portion constituting a first discharge pipe, an agitation mechanism agitating the contents of the syringe, a vacuum chamber having a second discharge pipe penetrating the bottom to connect to the first discharge pipe of the syringe. The agitation mechanism agitates the liquid crystal material and the pure water in the syringe, and purifies the liquid crystal material by causing water-soluble impurities to transfer to the pure water. The agitation mechanism agitates the liquid crystal material remaining in the syringe after the water layer has been discharged. The evacuation mechanism evacuates the vacuum chamber and causes the liquid crystal material to be degassed while the remaining liquid crystal material is agitated.

Claims

1. A method of processing a liquid crystal material, comprising:

agitating and mixing the liquid crystal material and pure water in a syringe accommodated in a vacuum chamber, purifying the liquid crystal material by transferring water-soluble impurities contained in the liquid crystal material to the pure water, stopping the agitation, and separating the mixture into a liquid crystal material layer of an upper layer and a water layer of a lower layer by leaving the mixture to stand still;

discharging the water layer of the lower layer from the syringe to an outside of the vacuum chamber; and

evacuating the vacuum chamber and degassing the liquid crystal material while agitating the liquid crystal material remaining in the syringe after discharging the water layer of the lower layer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein

the liquid crystal material and the pure water are agitated and mixed at a proportion of 1 part by weight or more and less than 5 parts by weight of pure water to 100 parts by weight of liquid crystal material.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein

the agitation and mixing of the liquid crystal material and the pure water are performed at 5 to 100 rpm for 1 to 60 minutes.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein

the agitation of the liquid crystal material remaining in the syringe is performed at 50 to 100 rpm for 5 to 10 hours.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein

pure water having a specific resistance of 16MΩ

·

cm or more is used as the pure water.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein

the agitation and mixing of the liquid crystal material and the pure water are performed at 5 to 100 rpm for 1 to 60 minutes.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein

the agitation of the liquid crystal material remaining in the syringe is performed at 50 to 100 rpm for 5 to 10 hours.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein

pure water having a specific resistance of 16MΩ

·

cm or more is used as the pure water.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein

the agitation of the liquid crystal material remaining in the syringe is performed at 50 to 100 rpm for 5 to 10 hours.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein

pure water having a specific resistance of 16MΩ

·

cm or more is used as the pure water.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein

pure water having a specific resistance of 16MΩ

·

cm or more is used as the pure water.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein

ultrapure water having a specific resistance of 18MΩ

·

cm or more and an impurity amount of 0.001 μ

g/L or less is used as the pure water.