Liquid crystal display device, substrate bonding apparatus, and method for fabricating liquid crystal display device using the same

• US 20050083478A1
• Filed: 10/19/2004
• Published: 04/21/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: LG Philips LCD Company Limited (LG Display Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Park, Young Suk, Lee, Hyun Kyu, Chung, Hyun Sang
• Granted Patent: US 7,483,114 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 349/156
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13394 spacers regularly patterned on the cell subtrate, e.g. walls, pillars G02F1/133377 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1341 Filling or closing of cells
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13415 Drop filling process

Abstract

A liquid crystal display device includes a plurality of guide walls formed at regular intervals on a first substrate, the guide walls extending lengthwise or widthwise within an active region of the first substrate, a liquid crystal material filled between the guide walls, and a second substrate being attached to the first substrate sandwiching the liquid crystal material therebetween.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal display device, comprising:

a plurality of guide walls formed at regular intervals on a first substrate, the guide walls extending lengthwise or widthwise within an active region of the first substrate;

a liquid crystal material filled between the guide walls; and

a second substrate being attached to the first substrate sandwiching the liquid crystal material therebetween.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the guide walls are formed overlapping a portion of a black matrix layer.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the guide walls are formed extending along a plurality of pixel regions.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the guide walls include an acryl group material.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the guide walls maintain a cell gap between the first and second substrates.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein as the second substrate is being attached to the first substrate, the liquid crystal material is heated to or above an isotropization temperature.

7. A method for fabricating a liquid crystal display device, comprising:

providing first, and second substrates having a plurality of pixel regions;

forming guide walls on the second substrate between the pixel regions;

dispensing a liquid crystal material on the second substrate having the guide walls formed thereon; and

bonding the first and second substrates to each other.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of forming the guide walls includes coating and patterning an acryl group material.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the second substrate is a thin film transistor substrate having gate lines and data lines formed thereon, and the guide walls are formed overlapping at least one of the gate lines and the data lines.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the second substrates is a color filter substrate having a black matrix layer formed on regions except the pixel regions, and the guide walls are formed in a vertical or horizontal direction overlapping a portion of the black matrix layer.

11. A method for fabricating a liquid crystal display device, comprising:

dispensing a liquid crystal material on a first substrate;

affixing the first substrate having the liquid crystal material dispensed thereon at a lower stage;

affixing a second substrate at an upper stage;

heating the liquid crystals dispensed on the second substrate to an isotropization temperature; and

bonding the first and second substrates to each other.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising preheating of the liquid crystal material before dispensing the liquid crystal material on the first substrate.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising coating a sealant at a peripheral of one of the first and second substrates.

14. A liquid crystal display device fabricated using the method of claim 11, the liquid crystal display device comprising:

a seal pattern at a peripheral of one of the first and second substrates for bonding the first and second substrates to each other.

15. The liquid crystal display device of claim 14, further comprising a plurality of guide walls formed at regular intervals on the second substrate, the guide walls extending lengthwise or widthwise within an active region of the second substrate.

16. A substrate bonding apparatus for fabricating a liquid crystal display device, comprising:

an upper stage for holding a first substrate;

a lower stage for holding a second substrate having a liquid crystal material dispensed thereon; and

heating means for heating the liquid crystal material to an isotropization temperature.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the upper stage and the lower stage include a plurality of vacuum holes for holding the first substrate and the second substrate by a vacuum force.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the heating means is spaced apart from an underside surface of the second substrate.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising a heat pipe between the heating means and the second substrate for performing heat transfer using a two-phase flow.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the heating means includes a hot wire generating heat electrically.

21. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the heating means is mounted under the second substrate.

22. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising a preheating device for preheating the liquid crystal material before the liquid crystal material is dispensed on the second substrate.

23. A method for fabricating a liquid crystal display device using the apparatus of claim 16, the method comprising:

dispensing the liquid crystal material from a dispenser onto the second substrate; and

joining the first and second substrates by contacting an inner surface of the first substrate with the liquid crystal material dispensed on the second substrate.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising preheating the liquid crystal material before the step of dispensing.