Process for preparing a display panel

• US 8,582,197 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2011
• Issued: 11/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: E Ink California, LLC (E Ink Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SiPix Imaging, Inc. (E Ink Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Liang, Rong-Chang, Chan-Park, Mary, Tseng, Scott C-J, Wu, Zarng-Arh George, Zang, HongMei, Wang, Xiaojia
• Primary Examiner(s): TRA, TUYEN Q
• Application Number:
  US13/027,100
• Publication Number:
  US 20110217896A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,002 Days
• Field of Search: 359/296, 359/245, 359/315, 359/322, 345/107, 345/105, 430/32, 430/34, 430/38, 204/600, 204/450
• US Class Current: 359/296
• 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 1/1339 Gaskets; Spacers; Sealing of cells
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/167 by electrophoresis
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1679 Gaskets; Spacers; Sealing of cells; Filling or closing of cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31504 Composite [nonstructural laminate]

Abstract

This application is directed to processes for preparing electrophoretic displays and semi-finished display panels comprising display cells prepared from the microcup and top-sealing technologies. The semi-finished display panel comprises an array of display cells sandwiched between two temporary substrate layers, between a temporary substrate layer and a conductor layer or between a temporary substrate layer and a permanent substrate layer, wherein said display cells are filled with an electrophoretic fluid and top-sealed with a polymeric sealing layer formed from a top-sealing composition which is being hardened while on top of the electrophoretic fluid.

Claims

1. A process for preparing a display panel comprising the steps in the sequence of:

a) forming microcups on a conductor layer which is on a plastic substrate;

b) filling the microcups with an electrophoretic fluid;

c) overcoating a top-sealing composition on top of the electrophoretic fluid; and

d) hardening the top-sealing composition while on top of the electrophoretic fluid, to form a top-sealing layer to seal the microcups filled with the electrophoretic fluid.

2. The process of claim 1, further comprising applying a release liner over the filled and top-sealed microcups.

3. The process of claim 2, wherein the release liner is applied with an adhesive layer.

4. The process of claim 2, wherein the release liner is formed from a material selected from the group consisting of polyethylene terephthalate, polycarbonate, polyethylene, polypropylene, paper, a laminate thereof and a cladding film thereof.

5. The process of claim 1, wherein said top-sealing composition is a thermoplastic precursor composition or a thermoset precursor composition.

6. The process of claim 1, wherein the top-sealing composition comprises a material selected from the group consisting of polyvalent acrylates, polyvalent methacrylates, cyanoacrylates, polyvalent vinyls, polyvalent epoxides, polyvalent isocyanates, polyvalent allyls, and oligomers or polymers comprising a crosslinkable functional group.

7. The process of claim 1, wherein the conductor layer is an ITO conductor layer.

8. The process of claim 1, further comprising adding an auxiliary layer over the plastic substrate.

9. The process of claim 8, wherein the auxiliary layer is an anti-scratch layer.

10. The process of claim 8, wherein the auxiliary layer is an anti-glare layer.

11. The process of claim 10, wherein the anti-glare layer comprises a particulate filler.

12. The process of claim 8, wherein the auxiliary layer is an anti-smudge layer.