Liquid crystal material filling method and liquid crystal material filling apparatus

• US 7,505,108 B2
• Filed: 09/02/2004
• Issued: 03/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nano Loa, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nano Loa, Inc.
• Inventors: Mochizuki, Akihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Nelms; David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chien; Lucy P
• Application Number:
  US10/932,018
• Publication Number:
  US 20060044508A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,657 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 349/153
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1339 Gaskets; Spacers; Sealing of cells
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1341 Filling or closing of cells
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13415 Drop filling process

Abstract

A method of injecting liquid crystal material, which is capable of efficiently injecting a liquid crystal material having a high viscosity at room temperature, such as smectic-phase liquid crystal material while maintaining a high throughput, a seal pattern that can be preferably used for the method, and an apparatus for injecting liquid crystal material.

Claims

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

disposing a liquid crystal material on a first substrate;

disposing a second substrate above the first substrate; and

attaching the first substrate and the second substrate to obtain a pair of substrates,

wherein, at the time of the attachment, a space B is formed so that the space B communicates with a space A defining an area for a liquid crystal display, the space A being defined by sides of the pair of substrates, and the spaces A and B collectively forming a closed space;

the spaces A and B are defined by a patterned seal member disposed on the first substrate, the second substrate or on the first and second substrates;

the volume of the space B is based on a volume change between a total volume of the spaces A and B at 25 °

C. and a total volume of the spaces A and B at 100 °

C. as determined based on the thermal expansion coefficients of the liquid crystal material and the seal member at 100 °

C. and 25 °

C.;

the liquid crystal material that is disposed on the first substrate has a volume not larger than the total volume of the spaces A and B at the time of disposing the liquid crystal material; and

the liquid crystal material is heated prior to being disposed between the pair of substrates, and the temperature of the liquid crystal material is lowered thereafter.

2. A method of injecting a liquid crystal material according to claim 1, wherein the spaces A and B are isolated from each other after the pair of substrates are attached to each other.

3. A method of injecting a liquid crystal material according to claim 1, wherein the temperature at the time of the injection of the liquid crystal material is higher than 25 °

C.

4. A method of injecting a liquid crystal material according to claim 1, wherein the temperature at the time of the injection of the liquid crystal material is not lower than 100 °

C.

5. A method of injecting a liquid crystal material according to claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal material is heated to show an isotropic phase so as to be disposed between the pairs of substrates.

6. A method of injecting a liquid crystal material according to claim 1, wherein, in the seal pattern, a seal portion corresponding to the space A and a seal portion corresponding to the space B comprise seal members having different curing mechanisms.

7. A method of injecting a liquid crystal material according to claim 6, wherein the seal portion corresponding to the space A comprises a UV-curable seal member, and the seal portion corresponding to the space B comprises a thermosetting seal member.

8. A method of injecting a liquid crystal material according to claim 1, wherein the percent change in the volume between the total volume of the spaces A and B at 25 °

C. and the total volume of the spaces A and B at 100 °

C. over the total volume of the spaces A and B at 25 °

C. ranges between −

15% and +15%.