Flexible liquid crystal display and manufacturing method of the same

• US 20060209246A1
• Filed: 12/28/2005
• Published: 09/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Industry-University Cooperation Foundation Hanyang University, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hanyang University, Industry-University Cooperation Foundation, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Jae-Hoon
• Application Number:
  US11/322,033
• Publication Number:
  US 20060209246A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 349/155
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133305 Flexible substrates, e.g. plastics, organic film
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133377 Cells with plural compartments or having plurality of liquid crystal microcells partitioned by walls, e.g. one microcell per pixel
• 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 2202/023 curable
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2202/28 Adhesive materials or arrangements

Abstract

A liquid crystal display (LCD) includes a first insulating substrate, a second insulating substrate arranged opposite to the first insulating substrate, a liquid crystal layer arranged between the first insulating substrate and the second insulating substrate, a spacer which defines and maintains a substantially uniform gap between the first insulating substrate and the second insulating substrate, and a high molecular weight layer which is provided on a surface of the second insulating substrate and attaches the spacer to the second insulating substrate.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal display (LCD), comprising:

a first insulating substrate;

a second insulating substrate arranged opposite to the first insulating substrate;

a liquid crystal layer arranged between the first insulating substrate and the second insulating substrate;

a spacer that forms and maintains a substantially uniform gap between the first insulating substrate and the second insulating substrate; and

a high molecular weight layer formed on a surface of the second insulating substrate that connects the spacer with the second insulating substrate.

2. The LCD of claim 1, further comprising:

a first electrode arranged on the first insulating substrate; and

a second electrode arranged on the second insulating substrate.

3. The LCD of claim 1, wherein the spacer is a lattice-like shape.

4. The LCD of claim 3, wherein spacer partitions the liquid crystal layer into a plurality of regions.

5. The LCD of claim 1, wherein the high molecular weight layer comprises a phase-separated polymer that is obtained by irradiating light upon a combination of a UV-curing monomer and liquid crystal that is provided in the cell gap.

6. The LCD of claim 5, wherein the light used for the phase separation of the monomer and the liquid crystal is ultraviolet (UV) light.

7. The LCD of claim 6, wherein the monomer is a UV-curing epoxy NOA-65 manufactured by Norland Co.

8. The LCD of claim 2, further comprising:

a thin film transistor arranged on the first insulating substrate and coupled with the first electrode.

9. The LCD of claim 2, further comprising:

another thin film transistor arranged on the second insulating substrate and coupled with the second electrode.

10. The LCD of claim 2, wherein the spacer comprises a plurality of bars, and wherein a plurality of high molecular weight projections are arranged substantially linear and cross the spacer.

11. The LCD of claim 1, wherein the spacer comprises an elastic polymer material.

12. The LCD of claim 1, wherein the spacer comprises a PDMS [poly(dimethylsiloxane)] material.

13. A liquid crystal display (LCD), comprising:

a first insulating substrate;

a second insulating substrate arranged opposite to the first insulating substrate;

a liquid crystal layer arranged between the first insulating substrate and the second insulating substrate;

a spacer that forms and maintains a substantially uniform gap between the first insulating substrate and the second insulating substrate; and

a high molecular weight projection that is arranged between the first insulating substrate and the second insulating substrate.

14. The LCD of claim 13, wherein the spacer comprises a plurality of bars and the high molecular weight projection is substantially linear and crosses the spacer.

15. The LCD of claim 13, further comprising:

a first electrode arranged on the first insulating substrate; and

a second electrode arranged on the second insulating substrate.

16. The LCD of claim 13, wherein the spacer and the high molecular weight projection divide the liquid crystal layer into a plurality of regions.

17. The LCD of claim 14, wherein the high molecular weight projections are comprised of a phase-separated polymer obtained by irradiating light to a mixture of a UV-curing monomer and liquid crystal provided in the cell gap.

18. The LCD of claim 17, wherein the light used for the phase separation of the monomer and the liquid crystal is ultraviolet light.

19. The LCD of claim 18, wherein the monomer is UV-curing epoxy NOA-65 manufactured by Norland Co.

20. The LCD of claim 15, further comprising a first thin film transistor that is formed on the first insulating substrate, while being connected to the first electrode.

21. The LCD of claim 15, further comprising a second thin film transistor that is formed on the second insulating substrate, while being connected to the second electrode.

22. The LCD of claim 13, wherein the spacer is comprised of an elastic polymer.

23. The LCD of claim 22, wherein the spacer is comprised of PDMS [poly(dimethylsiloxane)].

24. A method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display, comprising:

forming a first electrode on a first insulating substrate;

forming a spacer on the first electrode;

applying a mixture of a polymerizable monomer and liquid crystalline material on the first electrode with the fixed spacer;

arranging a second insulating substrate on the fixed spacer;

phase-separating the polymerizable monomer from the liquid crystalline material during polymerization; and

attaching the phase-separated polymer to a surface of the second insulating substrate such that the spacer and the second insulating substrate are attached thereto.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the fixed spacer contacts a second electrode formed on a surface of the second insulating substrate after the second insulating substrate is arranged on the fixed spacer.

26. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

applying an alignment material on the spacer and rubbing the coating material thereon to form an alignment layer before the first electrode is formed on the first insulating substrate.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein forming the alignment layer comprises:

applying a photoresist on the first electrode;

exposing the photoresist to light via a mask; and

developing the exposed photoresist.

28. The method of claim 24, wherein forming the spacer on the first electrode comprises:

forming a stamp for imprinting a spacer;

applying an elastic polymer on the stamp;

arranging the first insulating substrate with the first electrode on the elastic polymer; and

simultaneously heating and applying pressure to the first insulating substrate that is arranged on the elastic polymer.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein forming the stamp for imprinting the spacer comprises:

coating an SU-8 photoresist on the first electrode;

exposing the SU-8 photoresist to light via a mask; and

developing the exposed SU-8 photoresist.

30. The method of claim 24, wherein phase-separating the polymerizable monomer from the liquid crystalline material during polymerization is performed by directing UV irradiation at the mixture of the monomer and the liquid crystalline material from the exterior surface of the second insulating substrate.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the UV irradiation is performed through a mask.