Display panel and method for fabricating the same

• US 20040141141A1
• Filed: 12/22/2003
• Published: 07/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Yoshimizu, Toshiyuki, Ota, Yoshifumi
• Granted Patent: US 7,359,021 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 349/153
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133305 Flexible substrates, e.g. plastics, organic film
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/8426 Peripheral sealing arrangements, e.g. adhesives, sealants
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/844 Encapsulations
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/8722 Peripheral sealing arrangements, e.g. adhesives, sealants
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/8792 comprising light absorbing layers, e.g. black layers

Abstract

The display panel of this invention includes a pair of glass substrates each with a thickness not less than 0.15 mm and not more than 0.3 mm and a sealing material for bonding the pair of glass substrates to each other. A resin layer is formed on the outer face of at least one of the pair of glass substrates.

Claims

1. A display panel comprising:

a pair of glass substrates each having a thickness not less than 0.15 mm and not more than 0.3 mm; and

a sealing material for bonding the pair of glass substrates to each other,

wherein a resin layer is formed on an outer face of at least one of the pair of glass substrates.

2. The display panel of claim 1,

wherein the resin layer is mainly made of an organic resin.

3. The display panel of claim 1,

wherein the resin layer includes a hybrid material composed of inorganic colloid particles and an organic binder resin.

4. The display panel of claim 1,

wherein the resin layer has a thickness not less than 2 μ

m and not more than 50 μ

m.

5. The display panel of claim 1,

wherein one of the pair of glass substrates has a terminal portion on its inner face and outside the sealing material, and a resin layer is formed on the terminal portion.

6. The display panel of claim 5,

wherein an integrated circuit chip is mounted on the terminal portion, and at least a connection part between the terminal and the integrated circuit chip is covered with a resin.

7. The display panel of claim 1,

wherein a polarizing layer is formed on an inner face of at least one of the pair of glass substrates.

8. A method for fabricating the display panel of claim 1, comprising the steps of:

aligning a pair of glass substrates each with a thickness of 0.3 mm or more with the sealing material sandwiched therebetween;

reducing thicknesses of the pair of aligned glass substrates until each thickness becomes not less than 0.15 mm and not more than 0.3 mm; and

forming the resin layer on the outer face of at least one of the pair of glass substrates whose thicknesses have been reduced.

9. The method for fabricating the display panel of claim 8,

wherein the step of reducing thicknesses includes a sub-step of performing chemical etching or physical polishing.

10. A method for fabricating a display panel that includes a pair of glass substrates each with a thickness not less than 0.15 mm and not more than 0.3 mm and a sealing material for bonding the pair of glass substrates to each other and in which a resin layer is formed on both faces of the display panel, comprising the steps of:

forming a pair of layered plates each by placing a supporting substrate on each of the pair of glass substrates with the resin layer sandwiched therebetween;

aligning the pair of layered plates with the sealing material sandwiched therebetween and with the supporting substrates facing outside; and

removing the supporting substrates from the pair of aligned layered plates by chemical etching.

11. The method for fabricating a display panel of claim 10,

wherein the supporting substrate has a thickness of 0.5 mm or more.

12. The method for fabricating a display panel of claim 10,

wherein the resin layer has a thickness not less than 2 μ

m and not more than 50 μ

m.

13. The method for fabricating a display panel of claim 10,

wherein the resin layer is a layer mainly made of an organic resin, or a layer including a hybrid material composed of inorganic colloid particles and an organic binder resin.

14. A display panel comprising:

a pair of glass substrates each with a thickness not less than 0.15 mm and not more than 0.3 mm; and

a sealing material for bonding the pair of glass substrates to each other,

wherein at least part of end faces of the pair of glass substrates has a resin layer.

15. The display panel of claim 14,

wherein the sealing material has an injection port sealed with the resin layer.

16. The display panel of claim 14,

wherein each of the pair of glass substrates has an outer face on which a resin layer is formed.

17. The display panel of claim 14,

wherein a whole face of the display panel is covered with a resin layer.

18. A method for fabricating a display panel that includes a pair of glass substrates each with a thickness not less than 0.15 mm and not more than 0.3 mm, a sealing material for bonding the pair of glass substrates to each other and a liquid crystal material filled in a space formed by the pair of glass substrates and the sealing material, comprising the steps of:

aligning a pair of glass substrates each with a thickness of 0.3 mm or more with the sealing material having an injection port sandwiched therebetween;

exposing the injection port of the sealing material on end faces of the pair of glass substrates by breaking the pair of aligned glass substrates;

reducing thicknesses of the pair of glass substrates until each thickness becomes not less than 0.15 mm and not more than 0.3 mm;

filling the liquid crystal material in the space through the injection port; and

forming a resin layer on at least end faces corresponding to the injection port among all end faces of the pair of glass substrates.

20. The method for fabricating a display panel of claim 18,

wherein the step of reducing thicknesses includes a sub-step of performing chemical etching or physical polishing.

22. The method for fabricating a display panel of claim 18,

wherein the step of forming a resin layer includes a sub-step of covering end faces and outer faces of the pair of glass substrates with the resin layer.

19. A method for fabricating a display panel that includes a pair of glass substrates each with a thickness not less than 0.15 mm and not more than 0.3 mm, a sealing material for bonding the pair of glass substrates each other and a liquid crystal material filled in a space formed by the pair of glass substrates and the sealing material, comprising the steps of:

forming the sealing material on one of a pair of glass substrates each with a thickness of 0.3 mm or more;

dropping the liquid crystal material in a portion surrounded with the sealing material;

aligning the pair of glass substrates with the sealing material sandwiched therebetween;

reducing thicknesses of the pair of aligned glass substrates until each thickness becomes not less than 0.15 mm and not more than 0.3 mm; and

forming a resin layer on at least part of end faces of the pair of glass substrates.

21. The method for fabricating a display panel of claim 19,

wherein the step of reducing thicknesses includes a sub-step of performing chemical etching or physical polishing.

23. The method for fabricating a display panel of claim 19,

wherein the step of forming a resin layer includes a sub-step of covering end faces and outer faces of the pair of glass substrates with the resin layer.