Electro-optical device, method for manufacturing electro-optical device, apparatus for manufacturing electro-optical device, and electronic apparatus

• US 20040109218A1
• Filed: 04/23/2003
• Published: 06/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Hidekazu
• Granted Patent: US 6,995,893 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/245
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13394 spacers regularly patterned on the cell subtrate, e.g. walls, pillars G02F1/133377 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/841 Self-supporting sealing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/8426 Peripheral sealing arrangements, e.g. adhesives, sealants
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/8722 Peripheral sealing arrangements, e.g. adhesives, sealants

Abstract

A major object is to provide an electro-optical device, a method for manufacturing an electro-optical device, an apparatus for manufacturing an electro-optical device, and an electronic apparatus, in which, in the electro-optical device, a gap formed between two substrates functioning as constituent elements thereof or the thickness of an adhesive layer, which adheres the two substrates to each other, can be precisely controlled. The electro-optical device has at least a substrate 5 and a sealing substrate 1 which is adhered to the substrate 5 and which is composed of a transparent plate member, in which the substrate 5 and the sealing substrate 1 are adhered to each other with an adhesive layer 3 provided therebetween so as to form a gap therebetween; measurement surfaces 6, used for measuring the thickness of the adhesive layer 3, are provided in the gap; and on the measurement surfaces 6, an adhesive is not provided.

Claims

1. An electro-optical device comprising:

a first substrate;

a second substrate which is adhered to the first substrate with an adhesive layer provided therebetween and which is composed of a plate member;

a gap formed between the first substrate and the second substrate; and

a measurement surface which is provided in the gap and which is used for measuring the thickness of the adhesive layer.

2. The electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein the measurement surface is not applied with an adhesive.

3. The electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein the measurement surface is provided at least as a part of the surface of the second substrate which faces the first substrate.

4. The electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein the surface of the first substrate, facing the measurement surface, has a part having a reflectance of 90% or less.

5. The electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein the measurement surface is provided at a height approximately equivalent to that of an adhesion surface formed between the adhesive layer and the second substrate.

6. The electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein the difference in height between the adhesion surface and the measurement surface is 100 μ

m or less.

7. The electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein the measurement surface is processed by smoothing treatment.

8. The electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein the measurement surface is disposed at a part of a convex portion provided on the surface of the second substrate which faces the first substrate.

9. The electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein at least four measurement surfaces are provided.

10. The electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein the first substrate and the second substrate each have a square shape, and the measurement surfaces are provided at the individual four corners of the square shape.

11. The electro-optical device according to claim 1, further comprising electrodes and a light-emitting layer between the first substrate and the second substrate.

12. The electro-optical device according to claim 1, further comprising at least drying means or deoxidizing means provided in the gap.

13. The electro-optical device according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of scanning lines and a plurality of data lines, which are formed in a matrix;

switching means connected to the scanning lines and the data lines; and

pixel electrodes connected to the switching means.

14. An electronic apparatus comprising the electro-optical device according to claim 1.

15. An apparatus for manufacturing an electro-optical device comprising a first substrate and a second substrate adhered to the first substrate with an adhesive layer provided therebetween, the manufacturing apparatus comprising:

measuring means for measuring the thickness of the adhesive layer;

contact bonding means for pressing at least one of the first substrate and the second substrate; and

a controller for controlling operation of the contact bonding means in accordance with results measured by the measuring means.

19. The apparatus for manufacturing an electro-optical device, according to claim 15, wherein the measuring means measures the thickness of the adhesive layer at a position close to that pressed by the contact bonding means.

20. The apparatus for manufacturing an electro-optical device, according to claim 15, wherein the contact bonding means presses a plurality of positions,

the measuring means measures the thickness of the adhesive layer at a position close to each of the plurality of positions which are pressed by the contact bonding means, and

the controller controls the operation of the contact bonding means so that the individual measured values at the plurality of positions satisfy a desired value.

16. An apparatus for manufacturing an electro-optical device comprising a first substrate and a second substrate adhered to the first substrate with an adhesive layer provided therebetween, the manufacturing apparatus comprising:

measuring means for measuring the thickness of the adhesive layer by using the interference between light reflected from a measurement surface, the measurement surface being at least a part of the surface of the second substrate which faces the first substrate, and light reflected from the surface of the first substrate which faces the measurement surface;

contact bonding means for pressing at least one of the first substrate and the second substrate; and

a controller for controlling operation of the contact bonding means in accordance with results measured by the measuring means.

17. An apparatus for manufacturing an electro-optical device comprising a first substrate and a second substrate adhered to the first substrate with an adhesive layer provided therebetween, the manufacturing apparatus comprising:

measuring means for measuring the thickness of the adhesive layer by using the difference between the state in which a microscopic optical system is focused on a predetermined surface of the first substrate and the state in which the microscopic optical system is focused on a predetermined surface of the second substrate or the measurement surface;

contact bonding means for pressing at least one of the first substrate and the second substrate; and

a controller for controlling operation of the contact bonding means in accordance with results measured by the measuring means.

18. The apparatus for manufacturing an electro-optical device, according to claim 17, wherein a desired pattern, which is used when the focusing is performed, is formed on at least one of the predetermined surface of the first substrate, the predetermined surface of the second substrate, and the measurement surface.

21. A method for manufacturing an electro-optical device comprising at least a first substrate and a second substrate which is adhered to the first substrate and which is composed of a plate member, the method comprising:

a step of applying an adhesive onto at least one of the first substrate and the second substrate;

a disposing step of disposing the second substrate with respect to the first substrate so that a portion onto which the adhesive is applied forms an adhesive layer between the first substrate and the second substrate;

a pressing step of pressing at least one of the first substrate and the second substrate so as to press the second substrate to the first substrate; and

a step of measuring the thickness of the adhesive layer in the pressing step.

22. The method for manufacturing an electro-optical device, according to claim 21, wherein the thickness of the adhesive layer is measured by using the interference between light reflected from a measurement surface, which is at least a part of the surface of the second substrate facing the first substrate, and light reflected from the surface of the first substrate facing the measurement surface.

23. The method for manufacturing an electro-optical device, according to claim 21, wherein the thickness of the adhesive layer is measured by using the difference between the state in which a microscopic optical system is focused on a predetermined surface of the first substrate and the state in which the microscopic optical system is focused on a predetermined surface of the second substrate.

24. The method for manufacturing an electro-optical device, according to claim 21, wherein, in the pressing step, the pressing is performed until the adhesive layer has a desired thickness.

25. The method for manufacturing an electro-optical device, according to claim 24, wherein the method for manufacturing an electro-optical device comprises a step of curing the adhesive layer when the desired thickness thereof is obtained.

26. The method for manufacturing an electro-optical device, according to claim 21, wherein, in the step of applying the adhesive, the adhesive is applied onto the periphery of at least one of the first substrate and the second substrate and a portion in the vicinity of the periphery except for the measurement surface.

27. The method for manufacturing an electro-optical device, according to claim 21, wherein, in the step of sequentially measuring the thickness of the adhesive layer, the thickness of the adhesive layer is measured at a position close to that pressed in the pressing step.

28. The method for manufacturing an electro-optical device, according to claim 21, wherein, in the step of sequentially measuring the thickness of the adhesive layer, the thickness of the adhesive layer which is sequentially measured is displayed.

29. The method for manufacturing an electro-optical device, according to claim 21, wherein a plurality of the measurement surfaces is provided on the second substrate, and in the pressing step, positions of at least one of the first substrate and the second substrate, which are close to the respective measurement surfaces, are pressed so that the thicknesses of the adhesive layer at the respective measurement surfaces are approximately equivalent to each other.

30. The method for manufacturing an electro-optical device, according to claim 21, wherein, in the disposing step, a gap is formed between the first substrate and the second substrate, and in the gap, at least one of drying means and deoxidizing means is provided.