JP3530022B2 - Liquid crystal display element and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display device, and more particularly to a liquid crystal display device in which a liquid crystal is dispersed in a polymer compound, and a manufacturing method thereof.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The structure of a conventional polymer dispersed liquid crystal display device can be roughly classified into the following three types. That is, the first is a polymer matrix in which liquid crystal droplets are dispersed independently of each other (for example, Society for information display intern).
ational symposium digest'90 P.227-230).

Second, the liquid crystal droplets are not independent of each other,
Some of them exist in a state where they are in contact with each other (for example, Proceedings of the 22nd Liquid Crystal Conference, p.403-40).
4, 1996).

The third is a polymer network type polymer dispersed liquid crystal in which the polymer matrix has a three-dimensional network shape and the liquid crystal forms a continuous layer between the networks (for example, US Pat. No. 5,304,323, 15th liquid crystal). Proceedings of the discussion session, p.190
, 1989).

The conventional polymer-dispersed liquid crystal display element employs any one of these three types of structures.

By the way, a polymer dispersion type liquid crystal display device is usually manufactured by the following manufacturing method (see FIG. 18A). First, the upper substrate 1001 and the lower substrate 100 facing each other
2 are attached to each other with a sealant 1006 so that the gaps are uniform. Next, the upper substrate 1001 and the lower substrate 1
A mixture containing a liquid crystal material and a polymerizable monomer is injected between the mixture and 002, the polymerization temperature and irradiation intensity are set to predetermined conditions, and the mixture is irradiated with ultraviolet rays. The irradiation intensity of ultraviolet rays should be uniform within the panel surface.

As a result, when the monomer is polymerized and the liquid crystal material and the monomer are phase-separated, the liquid crystal material is dispersed in the polymer matrix between the two substrates according to the irradiation conditions of ultraviolet rays and the like. A state or a state in which the liquid crystal material is continuously connected and dispersed in the polymer matrix is formed (see, for example, Flat Panel Display '91, Nikkei BP, 221 Mitsugu).

A polymer-dispersed liquid crystal display device can be manufactured by the above-described manufacturing method. However, in a device which has been actually put into practical use in a TFT type liquid crystal panel, liquid crystal droplets are independent from each other in a polymer matrix. The structure was dispersed in.

[0009]

However, the polymer dispersion type liquid crystal display device having a structure in which the liquid crystal droplets are independent of each other has problems that the contrast is poor and the driving voltage is high. On the other hand, a polymer dispersed liquid crystal display element or a polymer network type polymer dispersed liquid crystal display element having a structure in which some of the liquid crystal droplets are connected to each other has excellent contrast, but near the sealing material due to temperature change around the element. There is a problem that cracks are generated in the polymer resin and the cracks cause streaky display unevenness.

Here, the particle diameters of the liquid crystal droplets which are independent of each other are about 0.8 μm, and if the particle diameter is made larger than this, a part of the liquid crystal droplets will be connected, but they will enter the liquid crystal layer. When the wavelength of the incoming light is about 0.4 μm, the particle size of the liquid crystal droplets should be 1.2 in order to obtain sufficient scattering properties.
It is necessary to set the thickness to about μm. As described above, since the particle diameters of the liquid crystal droplets independent of each other are smaller than 1.2 μm, the scattering performance is poor and, as a result, the contrast is poor. In addition, the driving voltage increases in a polymer dispersed liquid crystal display device having a structure in which the liquid crystal droplets are independent of each other, because the liquid crystal droplets that are independent of each other have poor scattering performance. Needs to be larger,
This is because if the panel gap is increased, it is necessary to increase the drive voltage accordingly.

The present inventors have found that such a display unevenness is likely to occur in the polymer dispersion type liquid crystal display element in the inspection process for evaluating the temperature characteristic of the element. In this inspection process, the device is left in a high temperature environment for a certain period of time and then cooled to room temperature. The mechanism of display unevenness will be further described.

A polymer dispersion type liquid crystal display device, for example, 80
When left at a high temperature of ° C for 24 hours, the polymer resin 1005 and the liquid crystal 1004 expand as shown in Fig. 18 (b). Here, the sealing material 1006 supporting the substrate also expands with temperature, but the degree of expansion of the sealing material 1006 is considerably smaller than that of the polymer resin 1005. Therefore, the cross section of the liquid crystal panel is deformed into a convex shape on the upper and lower substrates. At high temperature, the viscosity of the liquid crystal sharply decreases, so that the liquid crystal easily flows.
Further, the peripheral portions of the upper substrate 1001 and the lower substrate 1002 are fixed by a sealing material 1005. Therefore, the composite layer 1003 receives pressure from the upper substrate 1001 and the lower substrate 1002 in the arrow direction shown in FIG. Therefore, the sealing material 1
The liquid crystal near 006 receives the pressure and flows inside the panel. Next, when the liquid crystal panel is cooled to room temperature, the viscosity of the liquid crystal increases at room temperature. As a result, the liquid crystal flowing to the center of the liquid crystal panel does not return to the vicinity of the seal material 1006,
As a result, the liquid crystal density near the sealing material 1006 is reduced. Therefore, the pressure applied by the upper substrate 1001 and the lower substrate 1002 on the polymer resin matrix near the sealant 1006 causes cracks 1007 in the polymer resin (see FIG. 18C). As a result, streak-shaped display unevenness occurs at the peripheral portion of the display screen.

The above-mentioned streaky display unevenness does not occur in the polymer dispersion type liquid crystal display element having a structure in which the liquid crystal droplets are completely independent from each other, but the contrast is low in the element having this structure. On the other hand, a polymer dispersed liquid crystal display device having a structure in which some of the liquid crystal droplets are connected to each other or a polymer network type polymer dispersed liquid crystal display device has good contrast, but the streak-like display as described above. The unevenness occurs. That is, due to such a trade-off, it has not been possible to realize a polymer-dispersed liquid crystal display device having a good contrast and no display unevenness.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems and to provide a liquid crystal display device having less display unevenness and excellent display characteristics such as contrast, and a method of manufacturing such a device. .

[0015]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the liquid crystal display element according to the first aspect adopts the following constitution. A polymer liquid crystal composite in which liquid crystal droplets are dispersed and held in a matrix continuous phase containing a polymer compound, or liquid crystals are dispersed and held in a network of a three-dimensional mesh matrix containing a polymer compound. A layer is disposed between a pair of substrates in which a pixel electrode and a switching element are formed on at least one inner surface of the substrate, and the pair of substrates are bonded together by a sealing material to form an outer periphery of the polymer liquid crystal composite layer. A liquid crystal display element having a structure in which a surface and an inner peripheral surface of the sealing material are in close contact with each other, wherein the display element has a crack in the vicinity of the sealing material in the entire region of the polymer liquid crystal composite layer. A liquid crystal display element, characterized in that the inside of the area is a display area.

[0016]

[0017]

[0018]

[0019]

[0020]

[0021]

[0022]

[0023]

[0024]

[0025]

As described above, the display area does not include the area near the sealing material in which cracks are generated, so that it is possible to prevent stripe-shaped display unevenness caused by cracks from being visually recognized on the display screen. can do.

The invention described in claim 2 employs the following constitution in order to solve the above problems. Liquid crystal droplets are dispersed and held in a matrix continuous phase containing a polymer compound,
Alternatively, a polymer liquid crystal composite layer in which liquid crystals are dispersed and held in a mesh of a three-dimensional mesh matrix containing a polymer compound, and a pixel electrode and a switching element are formed on at least one inner surface of the substrate. It is arranged between a pair of substrates, and the pair of substrates are bonded by a sealing material,
A liquid crystal display element having a structure in which an outer peripheral surface of the polymer liquid crystal composite layer and an inner peripheral surface of the sealing material are in close contact with each other, wherein the display element is a polymer liquid crystal composite layer generated in the vicinity of the sealing material. A liquid crystal display device, characterized in that cracks in the liquid crystal are filled with a substance containing liquid crystal.

When the inside of the crack is closed with a substance mainly composed of liquid crystal as in the above structure, the difference in refractive index between the crack and the surrounding polymer liquid crystal composite layer becomes small, so that the crack itself becomes inconspicuous.

[0029]

Regardless of the area of the liquid crystal panel, cracks are likely to occur in the frame-shaped region having a width of 1.5 mm from the inner peripheral edge of the sealing material. Therefore, according to the above configuration in which the display area is provided inside the frame-shaped area, it is possible to prevent cracks from occurring in the display area. As a result, streaky display unevenness due to the cracks does not appear on the display screen.

The liquid crystal display element according to the third aspect adopts the following constitution in order to solve the above problems. A polymer liquid crystal composite in which liquid crystal droplets are dispersed and held in a matrix continuous phase containing a polymer compound, or liquid crystals are dispersed and held in a network of a three-dimensional mesh matrix containing a polymer compound. A layer is disposed between a pair of substrates in which a pixel electrode and a switching element are formed on at least one inner surface of the substrate, and the pair of substrates are bonded together by a sealing material to form an outer periphery of the polymer liquid crystal composite layer. A liquid crystal display element having a structure in which a surface and an inner peripheral surface of the sealing material are in close contact with each other, wherein the display element includes a main body having the pixel electrode and a switching element as a display region, and a peripheral edge surrounding the main body. Part is a non-display area, and in the display area of the polymer liquid crystal composite layer, liquid crystal droplets are partially connected to each other in a matrix continuous phase containing a polymer compound. The liquid crystal is dispersed and held in a state of a three-dimensional network matrix composed of a polymer compound and dispersedly retained in the state, and the non-display region of the polymer liquid crystal composite layer is composed of a polymer compound. A liquid crystal display device having a structure in which substantially spherical or spheroidal liquid crystal droplets are dispersed and held in an independent state in a matrix.

With the above structure, since the liquid crystal droplets are dispersed independently of each other in the region near the sealing material, the liquid crystal droplets are directed toward the central portion even if the ambient temperature rises. It becomes difficult to move. As a result, a decrease in liquid crystal density in the non-display area near the sealing material is prevented, and thus cracking is suppressed. Moreover, in the display region, liquid crystal droplets were dispersed and held in the matrix continuous phase in a state where they were partially connected to each other, or liquid crystals were dispersed and held in the mesh of the three-dimensional mesh matrix composed of a polymer compound. Since the polymer liquid crystal composite layer having the structure is formed, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of display unevenness in a state where the contrast is good.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the liquid crystal display element according to the third aspect , the liquid crystal fraction in the display area is larger than the liquid crystal fraction in the non-display area. Is characterized by.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the liquid crystal display element according to the third or fourth aspect , the liquid crystal fraction in the display region is within the range of 70% to 80%. And the liquid crystal fraction in the non-display area is less than 70%.

[0035] The invention according to claim 6, wherein at the liquid crystal display device according to claim 3, the display area of the in the liquid crystal droplet particle size, or spacing of the eyes of the net is 0.8μm or more, 1 .4μ
It is in the range of m or less, and the particle size of the liquid crystal droplets in the non-display area is less than 0.8 μm.

The liquid crystal display device according to the seventh aspect adopts the following constitution in order to solve the above problems. A polymer liquid crystal composite in which liquid crystal droplets are dispersed and held in a matrix continuous phase containing a polymer compound, or liquid crystals are dispersed and held in a network of a three-dimensional mesh matrix containing a polymer compound. A layer is disposed between a pair of substrates in which a pixel electrode and a switching element are formed on at least one inner surface of the substrate, and the pair of substrates are bonded together by a sealing material to form an outer periphery of the polymer liquid crystal composite layer. A liquid crystal display element having a structure in which a surface and an inner peripheral surface of the sealing material are in close contact with each other, wherein the display element includes a main body having the pixel electrode and a switching element as a display region, and a peripheral edge surrounding the main body. Part is a non-display area, and in the display area of the polymer liquid crystal composite layer, liquid crystal droplets are partially connected to each other in a matrix continuous phase containing a polymer compound. In the non-display area of the polymer liquid crystal composite layer, the liquid crystal and the polymer compound are retained in the non-display area of the polymer liquid crystal composite layer. A liquid crystal display element, which is formed in a mutually compatible state.

As in the above structure, in the non-display area near the seal material, the liquid crystal and the polymer compound are held in a mutually compatible state, and are formed in a liquid state or a semi-solid state. Therefore, no crack is generated. Moreover, in the display area, the liquid crystal droplets were dispersed and held in the matrix continuous phase containing the polymer compound, or the liquid crystal was dispersed and held in the mesh of the three-dimensional network matrix containing the polymer compound. Since the polymer liquid crystal composite layer having the structure is formed, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of display unevenness in a state where the contrast is good.

The liquid crystal display element according to the eighth aspect adopts the following constitution in order to solve the above problems. A polymer liquid crystal composite in which liquid crystal droplets are dispersed and held in a matrix continuous phase containing a polymer compound, or liquid crystals are dispersed and held in a network of a three-dimensional mesh matrix containing a polymer compound. A layer is a liquid crystal display element having a structure in which a pixel electrode and a switching element are formed between a pair of substrates on which an inner surface of at least one of the substrates is formed, and the pair of substrates are bonded by a sealing material. The display element is
The main body having the switching element and the pixel electrode is a display region, the peripheral portion surrounding the main body is configured to be a non-display region, the polymer liquid crystal composite layer is arranged in the display region, A liquid crystal display device, wherein a side gap layer is provided in a non-display area portion between the polymer liquid crystal composite layer and the sealing material.

In the above structure, even if the volume of the polymer liquid crystal composite layer expands or contracts due to the ambient temperature change, the side gap layer is provided in the vicinity of the seal material, which causes cracks. There is no liquid crystal. Therefore, the generation of the crack can be completely prevented. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of streaky display unevenness due to the cracks.

According to a ninth aspect of the invention, in the liquid crystal display element according to the eighth aspect , the side gap layer is in a vacuum state.

When the side gap layer is in a vacuum state as in the above structure, even if the volume of the polymer liquid crystal composite layer expands at a high temperature, the side gap layer can relax the volume.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the liquid crystal display element according to the eighth aspect , the side gap layer is filled with gas.

The eleventh aspect of the present invention is the liquid crystal display element according to the eighth aspect, characterized in that the side gap layer is filled with a polymer compound.

Since the side gap layer is formed of the polymer compound as in the above structure, the breaking strength can be increased as compared with the case where liquid crystal droplets are present in the side gap layer. As a result, the generation of cracks can be suppressed.

The liquid crystal display element according to the twelfth aspect adopts the following constitution in order to solve the above problems. A polymer liquid crystal composite in which liquid crystal droplets are dispersed and held in a matrix continuous phase containing a polymer compound, or liquid crystals are dispersed and held in a network of a three-dimensional mesh matrix containing a polymer compound. A layer is disposed between a pair of substrates in which a pixel electrode and a switching element are formed on at least one inner surface of the substrate, and the pair of substrates are bonded together by a sealing material to form an outer periphery of the polymer liquid crystal composite layer. A liquid crystal display element having a structure in which a surface and an inner peripheral surface of the sealing material are in close contact with each other, wherein the display element includes a main body having the pixel electrode and a switching element as a display region, and a peripheral edge surrounding the main body. The portion is configured to be the non-display area, and the particle size of the liquid crystal droplets in the display area or the mesh interval is the particle size of the liquid crystal droplets in the non-display area near the sealing material. Mesh The liquid crystal display element characterized by less than the distance.

According to the above construction, the particle size of the liquid crystal droplets in the vicinity of the seal material or the mesh interval is larger than the particle size of the liquid crystal droplets in the display area or the mesh interval. Therefore, the liquid crystal can easily flow. More specifically, if the particle size of the liquid crystal droplets or the distance between the meshes is large, the liquid crystal is easily moved even when the temperature of the liquid crystal expands and the pressure of the surrounding polymer resin changes due to cooling. Therefore, the generation of cracks in the non-display area is prevented. Moreover, since the particle size of the liquid crystal droplets in the display area is larger than that in the non-display area, good contrast can be maintained. That is, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of streaky display unevenness while maintaining good contrast.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the liquid crystal display element according to the twelfth aspect , the liquid crystal fraction in the display area is smaller than the liquid crystal fraction in the non-display area. Is characterized by.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the liquid crystal display element according to the thirteenth aspect , the liquid crystal fraction in the display region is in the range of 70% or more and 80% or less, The liquid crystal fraction in the display region is greater than 80%.

According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, in the liquid crystal display element according to the thirteenth aspect , the difference between the liquid crystal fraction in the display area and the liquid crystal fraction in the non-display area is different. It is characterized by being at least 5% or more.

According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, in the liquid crystal display element according to the twelfth aspect , the particle size of the liquid crystal droplets in the non-display area or the distance between the meshes is 1.8 μm or more. The liquid crystal droplets or meshes in the display area are 0.8 μm or more,
It is characterized by being in the range of 14 μm or less.

According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, in the liquid crystal display element according to any one of the third to sixteenth aspects, the non-display area has a frame shape having a width of at least 1.0 mm or more. It is characterized by being the area of.

According to the above structure, the non-display area is a frame-shaped area having a width of at least 1.0 mm from the inner peripheral edge of the sealing material, thereby preventing the occurrence of display unevenness and further increasing the display area. Can be expanded.

The method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display element according to claim 18 employs the following constitution in order to solve the above problems.
A polymer liquid crystal composite layer in which liquid crystal droplets are dispersed in a polymer compound is disposed between a pair of substrates on which a pixel electrode and a switching element are formed on at least one inner surface of the substrate, and the pair of substrates. Is a structure in which a main body having the pixel electrode and the switching element is a display region, and a peripheral portion surrounding the main body is a non-display region. A method, wherein the manufacturing method, between the pair of substrates,
After arranging a liquid crystal polymer precursor phase solution containing a liquid crystal and a polymer precursor, the substrate surface is irradiated with ultraviolet rays while polymerizing and curing the polymer precursor in the liquid crystal polymer precursor phase solution. Liquid crystal is phase-separated, and liquid crystal droplets are dispersed and held in a matrix continuous phase including a polymer compound, or liquid crystal is dispersed and held in a network of a three-dimensional network matrix including a polymer compound. And a phase separation step of producing a polymer liquid crystal composite layer of the above, and in the phase separation step, the irradiation intensity of the first ultraviolet light irradiated to the area corresponding to the display area corresponds to the non-display area. By lowering the irradiation intensity of the second ultraviolet light that irradiates the area, in the display area of the polymer liquid crystal composite layer, liquid crystal droplets are partially intercalated in the matrix continuous phase including the polymer compound. Connected to In the non-display region of the polymer liquid crystal composite layer, the polymer compound is dispersed and retained in a state of having a structure in which liquid crystal is dispersed and retained in the mesh of a three-dimensional mesh matrix composed of a polymer compound. during unrealized constructed matrix continuous phase, a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device characterized by a substantially spherical or liquid droplets of the spheroidal shape is maintained in a dispersed state independently of each other structure.

In the manufacturing method having the above-described structure, the liquid crystal droplets in the display area are partially connected to each other by adjusting the ultraviolet irradiation intensity, and the liquid crystal droplets in the non-display area are substantially spherical or spheroidal. It shall be dispersed independently of each other. With an element having such liquid crystal droplets, the liquid crystal droplets are less likely to move toward the central portion (display area side) even when the ambient temperature rises, and thus cracks due to temperature changes are less likely to occur. Therefore, according to the above configuration, it is possible to manufacture the polymer dispersion type liquid crystal display element having less display unevenness and excellent contrast with high productivity.

The method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display element according to claim 19 employs the following constitution in order to solve the above problems.
A polymer liquid crystal composite layer in which liquid crystal droplets are dispersed in a polymer compound is disposed between a pair of substrates in which a pixel electrode and a switching element are formed on at least one inner surface of the substrate,
A liquid crystal having a structure in which the pair of substrates are bonded together by a sealing material, and a main body portion having the pixel electrode and the switching element serves as a display region, and a peripheral portion surrounding the main body portion serves as a non-display region. A method of manufacturing a display element, wherein the manufacturing method is, between the pair of substrates, a liquid crystal polymer precursor phase solution containing a liquid crystal and a polymer precursor is disposed, and then ultraviolet light is applied to the entire surface of the substrate. By irradiating, the polymer precursor in the liquid crystal polymer precursor phase solution is polymerized and cured to cause phase separation of liquid crystal, and liquid crystal droplets are dispersed and held in a matrix continuous phase including a polymer compound, or It comprises a phase separation step of producing a polymer liquid crystal composite layer in which liquid crystals are dispersed and held in a mesh of a three-dimensional mesh matrix composed of a polymer compound, and corresponds to the non-display area in the phase separation step. You Method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display element characterized by irradiating ultraviolet rays to provide a shielding means for shielding the ultraviolet to region.

In the above-mentioned manufacturing method, since the non-display area is provided with the shielding means for shielding the ultraviolet rays to irradiate the ultraviolet rays, the polymer liquid crystal composite layer in the portion is in a liquid state in which the liquid crystal and the polymer compound are compatible with each other. Or it becomes semi-solid. Therefore,
According to the above configuration, it is possible to manufacture the polymer dispersion type liquid crystal display device which prevents cracks and has no display unevenness with high productivity.

According to a twentieth aspect of the present invention, in the liquid crystal display element according to the nineteenth aspect , the shielding means is a reflection plate made of a material that reflects ultraviolet rays.

As described above, the temperature rise of the liquid crystal panel can be suppressed by adopting the reflecting plate made of a material that reflects ultraviolet rays as the shielding means. As a result, it is possible to easily control the polymerization temperature when the polymer liquid crystal composite layer is formed by irradiation with ultraviolet rays.

The liquid crystal display element manufacturing method according to the twenty- first aspect adopts the following constitution in order to solve the above problems.
A polymer liquid crystal composite layer in which liquid crystal droplets are dispersed in a polymer compound is disposed between a pair of substrates in which a pixel electrode and a switching element are formed on at least one inner surface of the substrate,
Manufacture of a liquid crystal display device in which the pair of substrates are bonded together by a sealing material, the main body portion having the pixel electrode and the switching element serves as a display region, and the peripheral portion surrounding the main body portion serves as a non-display region. In the method, the manufacturing method is, between the pair of substrates, after disposing a liquid crystal polymer precursor phase solution containing a liquid crystal and a polymer precursor, irradiating the substrate surface with ultraviolet rays, Liquid crystal polymer precursor phase liquid crystal is phase-separated while polymerizing and curing the polymer precursor, and liquid crystal droplets are dispersed and held in a matrix continuous phase composed of the polymer compound or containing the polymer compound. The phase separation step of producing a polymer liquid crystal composite layer in which liquid crystals are dispersed and held in the mesh of the constituted three-dimensional mesh matrix is provided, and in the phase separation step, an area corresponding to the display area is irradiated. By setting the irradiation intensity of the first ultraviolet ray to be higher than the irradiation intensity of the second ultraviolet ray to irradiate the region corresponding to the non-display region, the display region of the polymer liquid crystal composite layer is made of the polymer compound. Liquid crystal droplets were dispersed and held in a continuous phase in which the liquid crystal droplets were partially connected to each other, or liquid crystal was dispersed and held in the network of a three-dimensional network matrix containing a polymer compound. A liquid crystal display having a structure and having a particle diameter of liquid crystal droplets or a mesh interval in the display area smaller than a particle diameter of liquid crystal droplets or a mesh interval in the non-display area. Device manufacturing method.

In the above structure, the liquid crystal droplets are formed by making the irradiation intensity of the first ultraviolet ray irradiating the region corresponding to the display region larger than the irradiation intensity of the second ultraviolet ray irradiating the region corresponding to the non-display region. Change the particle size and so on. With this method, the particle size of the liquid crystal droplets in the display area can be easily made larger than that in the non-display area, so that good contrast is provided and the occurrence of cracks in the non-display area near the sealing material is prevented. The obtained polymer dispersed liquid crystal display device can be manufactured with high productivity.

The invention according to claim 22 is the liquid crystal display element according to claim 21 , wherein the irradiation intensity of the first ultraviolet rays is 50 mW / cm ² or more, and the irradiation intensity of the second ultraviolet rays is Is 20 mW / cm ² or less.

[0062]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1) The following will describe Embodiment 1 of the present invention with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. However, parts unnecessary for description are omitted, and there are parts illustrated in an enlarged or reduced form for ease of description. The above also applies to the following drawings.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a liquid crystal display element 101 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the outline of the liquid crystal display element.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the liquid crystal display element 101 includes a TFT (Thin Film Transistor) substrate 102.
And a counter substrate 103 facing the TFT substrate 102,
It has a polymer liquid crystal composite layer disposed between the TFT substrate 102 and the counter substrate 103. The display screen of the liquid crystal display element 101 is set to be about 6 inches or less.

The TFT substrate 102 is a TFT (not shown) as a switching element on the lower substrate 111.
Alternatively, the pixel electrode 105 and the source line 108 electrically connected to the TFT are formed. More specifically, the TFT, the pixel electrode 105, the source line 108 and the like are formed in a region corresponding to the display region 201 on the lower substrate 111. Further, an insulating film 109 is provided on the lower substrate 111 so as to cover the TFT and the pixel electrode 105. On the other hand, the counter substrate 103
The counter electrode 107 and the like are formed on the upper substrate 112. Further, an insulating film 109 is provided on the counter electrode 107. A sealing material 106 for bonding the TFT substrate 102 and the counter substrate 103 together is formed in a frame shape on the peripheral edge of the liquid crystal panel.

Here, a frame-shaped non-display region 202 having a width of at least 1.5 mm is provided between the display region 201 where the TFT, the pixel electrode 105 and the like are formed and the sealant 106. .

More specifically, for example, the liquid crystal panel is set at 80 ° C.
If left for a long time in, the polymer resin matrix inside the liquid crystal panel and the liquid crystal droplets expand, and the liquid crystal panel itself also expands. The liquid crystal in the vicinity of the sealant 106 receives pressure due to the distortion of the lower substrate 111 and the upper substrate 112 and flows into the panel. After that, when cooled to room temperature, the liquid crystal flows in the liquid crystal panel, so that the liquid crystal density in the vicinity of the sealing material 106 decreases and the polymer resin matrix in the vicinity of the sealing material 106 becomes brittle. Furthermore, the pressure applied from the upper substrate 112 and the lower substrate 111 to the polymer resin matrix causes cracks 110 in the polymer resin. The area where the crack occurs corresponds to the non-display area 202 described above. Here, the reason why the non-display area 202 is a frame-shaped area having a width of at least 1.5 mm is based on the result of FIG. Figure 3 shows 80 ° C
The change in the distance between the sealing material 106 and the crack 110 with respect to the standing time in FIG. As is clear from FIG. 3, even if the time of leaving at 80 ° C. is 60 hours, the distance d (mm) between the sealing material 106 and the crack 110 is 1.
It is about 45 mm. As a result, it is understood that the non-display area 202 may be a frame-shaped area having a width of at least 1.5 mm or more. Therefore, in the liquid crystal display element according to the present embodiment, even if a reliability test or the like in which the ambient temperature is changed from a high temperature to a low temperature is performed, the region where the crack 110 is generated shows the display region 20.
Since the frame-shaped area (non-display area 202) of 1.5 mm is provided so as not to be included in No. 1, no streak-shaped display unevenness is visually recognized on the display screen. The distance d (mm) between the sealing material 106 and the crack 110 is as shown in FIG.
The distance between the innermost crack 110 of the cracks 110 generated in the vicinity of the seal material 106 and the inner peripheral surface of the seal material 106 is shown.

Further, the panel gap between the TFT substrate 102 and the counter substrate 103 is 10 μm, but it is not limited to this in the present embodiment and it is 3 μm.
As described above, the thickness may be within the range of 15 μm or less. Within the above numerical range, the region where the crack 110 occurs is the sealing material 1
It is a frame-shaped region having a width of 1.5 mm or less from the inner peripheral surface of 06. Here, in the liquid crystal panel having a size of 3 inches or more, the region where the crack 110 is generated does not show a dependency on the size thereof. Specifically, when the liquid crystal panel is left at a high temperature for a long time and then cooled to room temperature, pressure applied from the upper substrate 112 and the lower substrate 111 to the polymer resin matrix causes cracks 1 in the polymer resin matrix near the sealant 106.
10 results. The extent to which this pressure is applied is less affected by the area of the liquid crystal panel, and largely due to the panel gap. Therefore, the above-mentioned numerical range of 3 μm to 1
When the thickness is 5 μm, the crack 110 is generated in a region having a width of 1.5 mm or less from the inner peripheral surface of the sealing material 106 regardless of the size of the liquid crystal panel.

If the panel gap exceeds 15 μm, the driving voltage for driving the polymer liquid crystal composite layer 104 increases significantly, whereas if it is less than 3 μm, the liquid crystal panel has increased transparency and scattering. It is not preferable because it reduces the performance. Therefore, by setting the panel gap within the above numerical range, it is possible to suppress a large increase in the driving voltage for driving the polymer liquid crystal composite layer 104 and also suppress a decrease in contrast.

The TFT substrate 102 and the counter substrate 103
Is not particularly limited as long as at least one of them has a light transmitting property. Therefore, one of the substrates may be an opaque substrate such as a silicon substrate, and in this case, a reflective liquid crystal display element can be obtained by providing a reflector. The light-transmissive substrate may be, for example, a transparent substrate made of glass or quartz or a plastic substrate. In this case, the materials of the TFT substrate 102 and the counter substrate 103 may be different from each other.

The pixel electrode 105 and the counter electrode 10 are also provided.
7 is, for example, indium tin oxide (ITO).
Oxide) is a transparent conductive film.

The polymer liquid crystal composite layer 104 has a structure in which some of the liquid crystal droplets are in contact with each other and are continuous with each other. However, the existence form of the liquid crystal droplets is not limited to this, and, for example, a polymer compound is formed in a three-dimensional network, and the liquid crystal is dispersed in the network while being retained. Good. Here, the particle size of the liquid crystal droplets and the distance between the meshes have a correlation with the scattering property, that is, the gain G. The gain G is expressed by the following equation. G = (panel luminance (nt) / panel illuminance (lx)) × π Considering the relationship between the particle size of the liquid crystal drop and the gain G, the particle size of the liquid crystal drop has an optimum value around 1.2 μm. To do.
More specifically, when it is larger than 1.2 μm, the blue light scattering property is deteriorated, and conversely, when it is smaller than 1.2 μm, the red light scattering property is deteriorated. That is, in both cases, the gain is increased and the contrast is lowered. Therefore, it is preferable to set the particle size of the liquid crystal droplets in the display area 201 to around 1.2 μm, which is the optimum particle size. The distance between the meshes is a value calculated by observing with a microscope or the like and obtaining the average value of the distances a to c shown in FIG. 5, for example.

As the above-mentioned liquid crystal, various liquid crystals such as nematic liquid crystal, cholesteric liquid crystal, smectic liquid crystal and the like which show a liquid crystal state at around room temperature can be adopted. These liquid crystals may be used alone or in combination of two or more. Further, the polymer compound is not particularly limited as long as it has a light-transmitting property and holds the liquid crystal in the polymer resin matrix after the polymer liquid crystal composite layer 104 is formed. Specifically, for example, an ultraviolet curable resin, a thermosetting (thermal phase separation type) resin, or the like may be used.
Examples of the ultraviolet curable resin include epoxy resin and acrylic resin. On the other hand, examples of the thermosetting resin include epoxy resins, urethane resins, polyamide resins, urea resins, polyester resins, and the like.

The sealing material 106 is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a thermosetting sealing material, an ultraviolet curable sealing material, and a composite thermosetting and ultraviolet curing sealing material.

The insulating films 109, 109 are not particularly limited, and either polyimide type or polyamic acid type can be used. Alternatively, an insulating film made of an inorganic compound may be used. The use of the insulating films 109 and 109 as in this embodiment has an effect of further improving the voltage holding ratio of the polymer liquid crystal composite layer 104.

As described above, the characteristic point of the liquid crystal display device according to the present embodiment is that the region where the crack 110 is generated is divided into the non-display region 202 and the display region 201. The non-display area 202 is a frame-shaped area having a width of at least 1.5 mm from the inner peripheral surface of the sealing material 106. As a result, it is possible to obtain a liquid crystal display element having good display characteristics without causing streaky display unevenness on the display screen.

When the lower substrate 111 and the upper substrate 112 are made of different materials, the degree of expansion at high temperature is different between them, so that cracks are more likely to occur. However, in the present embodiment, since the display area 201 is set so that the crack generation area is not included in the display area 201, it is more effective even when the material is different as described above.

Further, in the present embodiment, the active matrix drive using the TFT is described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and simple matrix drive may be used.

Further, the inside of the crack 110 may be closed with a substance mainly composed of liquid crystal. By doing so, the difference in the refractive index with the region other than the crack 110 becomes small, and the crack 110 can be made inconspicuous. As a result, the area where the crack 110 occurs can be included in the display area, and the display screen can be enlarged.

The method of closing the inside of the crack 110 is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a heat treatment method of annealing the liquid crystal display element 101 at 80 ° C. for 2 hours. Further, as a method of closing the crack 110 with the liquid crystal, the same effect can be obtained by performing annealing at a temperature of 60 ° C. or higher, in addition to the above heat treatment method. Further, the annealing may be performed plural times. When the annealing is performed a plurality of times, the liquidity of the liquid crystal is maintained for a certain period of time in an increased state, so that the liquid crystal flows from the central portion of the display region 201 toward the non-display region 202, and the crack 110 is easily closed. .

(Embodiment 2) The following will describe Embodiment 2 of the present invention with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. The constituent elements having the same functions as those of the liquid crystal display element of the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Compared with the structure of the liquid crystal display element according to the first embodiment, the liquid crystal display element according to the present embodiment has a polymer liquid crystal composite layer in a non-display area in which liquid crystal droplets are formed of a polymer compound. It is different in that it is independently dispersed in the polymer resin matrix phase.

FIG. 6A is a sectional view showing the outline of the liquid crystal display element according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6A, a frame-shaped non-display area 202 having a width of about 1.0 mm is provided inside the sealing material 106. Further, inside the non-display area 202, the display area 2
01 is provided. In the non-display area 202, the substantially spherical or spheroidal liquid crystal droplets 206 are dispersed and held independently of each other (see FIG. 6C). On the other hand, in the display area 201, a part of the liquid crystal droplets 205 is formed in a structure in which they are in contact with each other and are continuous (see FIG. 6B). The display region 201 may have a structure in which a polymer resin matrix is formed in a three-dimensional mesh shape and liquid crystals are dispersed in the mesh while being held therein.

Since the liquid crystal droplets 206 in the vicinity of the sealant 106 are independent of each other as in the above structure, the liquid crystal droplets 206 are less likely to move inward when the temperature is raised. As a result, the generation of cracks in the non-display area 202 can be suppressed. On the other hand, as described in the first embodiment, the particle size of the liquid crystal droplets and the distance between the meshes have a correlation with the scattering property, that is, the gain G, and the particle size of the liquid crystal droplets is about 1. It is preferably 2 μm.

The polymer liquid crystal composite layer 200, which is a main constituent element of the liquid crystal display device according to this embodiment, can be formed by the method described below. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the method of manufacturing the liquid crystal display element.

First, the pixel electrode 105 and the counter electrode 1 are prepared in advance.
The TFT substrate 102 or the counter substrate 103 provided with 07 are attached to each other with a sealant 106. Furthermore,
A liquid crystal polymer mixture containing an uncured resin monomer (polymer precursor) such as an ultraviolet curable resin and a liquid crystal material as main materials is injected between the TFT 102 and the counter substrate 103. Then, when the liquid crystal polymer mixture is irradiated with ultraviolet rays, the uncured resin monomer is polymerized and the liquid crystal and the polymer resin matrix are phase-separated.

Here, the ultraviolet rays are set such that the display area 201 and the non-display area 202 have different irradiation intensities of the ultraviolet rays. More specifically, the irradiation intensity of the second ultraviolet rays 203 with which the non-display area 202 is irradiated is higher than the irradiation intensity of the first ultraviolet rays 204 with which the display area 201 is irradiated. As described above, by increasing the irradiation intensity of the second ultraviolet ray 203, the phase separation between the liquid crystal and the polymer compound proceeds further, so that in the non-display area 202,
The liquid crystal droplets 206 may have a structure in which they are individually dispersed. On the other hand, the irradiation intensity of the first ultraviolet ray 204 is set to the second
By setting the irradiation intensity of the ultraviolet ray 203 to be smaller than that of the ultraviolet ray 203, the degree of progress of phase separation between the liquid crystal and the polymer compound can be suppressed. Therefore, in the display area 201, some of the liquid crystal droplets 205 are in contact with each other and are continuous with each other, or the polymer resin matrix is formed in a three-dimensional mesh, and the liquid crystal is retained in this mesh. The structure exists in the state. Thereby, the polymer liquid crystal composite layer 200 is formed. The non-display area 202 has a width of 1.0 mm due to the influence of light that wraps around from the back surface when the first ultraviolet rays 204 are irradiated,
This is because it is difficult to make it smaller than 1.0 mm.

The irradiation intensity of the ultraviolet rays is the same as the liquid crystal droplet 205 in the display area 201 and the non-display area 20 as described above.
If the structure of the liquid crystal droplet 206 in 2 is obtained, it is not particularly limited and can be set arbitrarily. However, as the irradiation intensity of ultraviolet rays increases, the degree of polymerization progresses and the particle size of liquid crystal droplets decreases, so that the irradiation intensity applied to the non-display region 202 needs to be higher than that of the display region 201.

In order to change the irradiation intensity of ultraviolet rays within the surface of the liquid crystal panel, a method of partially disposing an ultraviolet ray cut filter on the liquid crystal panel can be mentioned. For example, a cut filter that cuts a wavelength of 370 nm is arranged in the display region 201, and a cut filter that cuts a wavelength of 350 nm is arranged in the non-display region 202. Here, the irradiation intensity of the ultraviolet light emitted from the same light source can be made higher than that of the display region 201 by the action of the cut filter. According to the above method, the number of irradiations can be once, and the manufacturing process can be simplified.

As described above, the characteristic point of the liquid crystal display element according to the present embodiment is that the liquid crystal droplets 206 are dispersed independently of each other in the region (non-display region 202) near the sealant 106. There is something to do. As a result, the liquid crystal droplets 206 are less likely to move inward even if the ambient temperature rises, and the liquid crystal density in the non-display area 202 is prevented from decreasing, so that cracks can be prevented from occurring and therefore the cracks can be prevented. It is also possible to prevent the occurrence of display unevenness due to. Moreover, in the display area 201, since the liquid crystal droplets 205 are dispersed and held in the matrix continuous phase including the high molecular compound, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of display unevenness in a good contrast state. In addition, the non-display area 202 has a width of at least 1.0 m.
Since the area is a frame-shaped area of m or more, the display area can be further expanded.

(Third Embodiment) The third embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. The constituent elements having the same functions as those of the liquid crystal display element according to the first or second embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the liquid crystal display element according to the present embodiment, the liquid crystal and the polymer compound are in a compatible state in the non-display area, as compared with the configuration of the liquid crystal display element according to the first or second embodiment. Is different in the point.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, in the non-display area 202 near the sealing material 106 in the polymer liquid crystal composite layer 300, the liquid crystal and the polymer compound are in a state of being dissolved without phase separation. . On the other hand, the display area 201
In, the liquid crystal droplets are formed in a structure in which some of the liquid crystal droplets are in contact with each other and are continuous with each other. With such a configuration, the vicinity of the sealing material 106 where cracks are likely to occur can be liquid or semi-solid, and as a result, the occurrence of cracks can be prevented. The non-display area 202 is formed in a frame shape having a width of about 1 mm. Further, the display region 201 may have a structure in which a polymer resin matrix is formed in a three-dimensional mesh shape and liquid crystals are dispersed in the mesh while being held therein.

The polymer liquid crystal composite layer 300, which is a main constituent element of the liquid crystal display element according to this embodiment, can be formed by the method described below.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the method of manufacturing the above liquid crystal display element. First, the TFT substrate 10 provided with the pixel electrode 105 and the counter electrode 107 in advance, respectively.
2 or the opposite substrate 103 is attached to each other with a sealant 106. Further, a liquid crystal polymer mixture mainly composed of an uncured resin monomer (polymer precursor) such as an ultraviolet curable resin and a liquid crystal material is injected between the TFT 102 and the counter substrate 103. Subsequently, a shielding means for irradiating the region corresponding to the display region 201 of the liquid crystal polymer mixture with the ultraviolet rays and shielding the ultraviolet region in the region corresponding to the non-display region 202 is provided. As a result, in the display area 201, some of the liquid crystal droplets exist in a state of being in contact with each other and being continuous, or the polymer resin matrix is formed into a three-dimensional mesh, and the liquid crystal is present in this mesh. The structure can be dispersed while being held. On the other hand, in the non-display area 202, since the ultraviolet rays are not irradiated, the liquid crystal and the polymer compound are not phase-separated, and the ultraviolet curable resin and the liquid crystal material are in a dissolved state. As a result, in the non-display area 202,
Since the ultraviolet curable resin is not solidified, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of cracks in the non-display area 202.

Further, the display area 201 may have a structure in which a polymer resin matrix is formed in a three-dimensional mesh shape and liquid crystals are dispersed in the mesh while being held.
Further, although the contrast is reduced, a structure in which liquid crystal droplets are dispersed independently of each other may be used.

(Fourth Embodiment) The fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. The constituent elements having the same functions as those of the liquid crystal display element of each of the above-described embodiments are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The liquid crystal display device according to the present embodiment is different from the structure of the liquid crystal display device according to each of the above embodiments in that there is no polymer liquid crystal composite layer in the non-display area and there is no side gap. The difference is that layers are formed.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, the polymer liquid crystal composite layer 400 is provided mainly only in the display region 201, and the side gap layer 412 is in a vacuum state.
Therefore, since the polymer resin matrix and the liquid crystal do not exist in the region where the crack is generated, it is possible to completely prevent the generation of the crack. The non-display area 202 is
The present invention is not limited to the case of being in a vacuum state, and may be a gas filled with other gas such as nitrogen or argon, a polymer compound or the like.

In the present embodiment, the side gap layer 412 is evacuated, but other gases such as air, nitrogen, and argon may be used. Further, when the above air is used, it is preferable to use dry air having a low humidity because the liquid crystal is less contaminated.

Further, the display region 201 may have a structure in which a polymer resin matrix is formed in a three-dimensional mesh shape and liquid crystals are dispersed in the mesh so as to be held therein.
Further, although the contrast is reduced, a structure in which liquid crystal droplets are dispersed independently of each other may be used.

In the second to fourth embodiments, the structure in the vicinity of the sealing material 106 in the layer in which the liquid crystal is dispersed in the polymer is different from the structure of the other parts. However, in the case of this structure, the sealing material 1
It is not preferable to use the area near 06 as an area for displaying an image, and it is desirable to use an area other than the area near the sealant 106 for displaying an image.

(Fifth Embodiment) The fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 11 to 15. The constituent elements having the same functions as those of the liquid crystal display element of each of the above-described embodiments are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The liquid crystal display element according to the present embodiment is smaller than the liquid crystal display element according to each of the above-described embodiments in terms of particle size of liquid crystal droplets in the display region of the polymer liquid crystal composite layer. The difference is that the liquid crystal droplets in the display area have a large particle size.
(See Figure 11)

More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the liquid crystal droplets 501 in the display area 201 are present in a state where some of them are connected to each other, while the liquid crystal droplets in the non-display area 202 are present. Most of the drops 502 exist in a state of being connected to each other. Therefore, obviously the liquid crystal drop 50
The particle size of 1 is smaller than that of the liquid crystal droplet 502.
In addition, as shown in FIG. 14, a liquid crystal drop 501 and a liquid crystal drop 502.
The connecting portion 503 connecting the and is wider than the connecting portion 504 connecting the liquid crystal drops 501. Therefore, even if the polymer liquid crystal composite layer 500 expands or contracts, the connecting portion 5
In 03, since the liquid crystal easily flows, the sealing material 10
It is possible to prevent cracks from occurring in the vicinity of 6. The non-display area 202 is formed as a frame-shaped area, but the width thereof is at least 1.0 mm or more from the inner peripheral surface of the seal material 106.

That is, even if the liquid crystal expands by heating the liquid crystal display element, since the liquid crystal droplet 502 has a large particle diameter and the connecting portion 503 is wide, the flow of the liquid crystal is not hindered. . On the other hand, even if the volume of the polymer resin matrix contracts by cooling the liquid crystal panel and the pressure applied to the liquid crystal from the polymer resin matrix sharply increases, the flow of the liquid crystal is prevented for the same reason as above. There is no. Therefore, even if the liquid crystal collects inside by leaving it at high temperature for a long time, when it is cooled down to room temperature,
The liquid crystal can easily move between the liquid crystal droplets and return to the non-display area 202. Therefore, it becomes possible to prevent the occurrence of cracks.

As in the first or second embodiment, the liquid crystal droplets 501 in the display area 2021 preferably have a particle size of about 1.2 μm. On the other hand, the non-display area 20
In No. 2, when the thickness is set to about 1.2 μm at which a sufficient gain can be obtained, liquid crystal flow is suppressed and cracks are likely to occur. Moreover, since the area near the sealant 106 is not included in the display area 201, the particle size of the liquid crystal droplet 502 does not necessarily have to be the optimum particle size. Therefore, even taking the above into consideration, making the particle size of the liquid crystal droplets 502 in the vicinity of the sealing material 106 or the distance between the meshes larger than that of the display region 201 makes it possible to maintain the contrast while maintaining the contrast. This is more effective in that it is possible to prevent the occurrence of cracks near 106.

The polymer liquid crystal composite layer 500, which is a main constituent element of the liquid crystal display element according to this embodiment, can be formed by the method described below.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the method of manufacturing the above liquid crystal display element. First, in advance, the pixel electrode 105
And a TFT substrate 1 provided with a counter electrode 107, respectively
02 or the counter substrate 103 is attached with a sealant 106. Further, a liquid crystal polymer mixture containing an uncured resin monomer such as an ultraviolet curable resin and a liquid crystal material as main materials is injected between the TFT 102 and the counter substrate 103.
Then, the liquid crystal polymer mixture is irradiated with ultraviolet rays so that the degree of progress of phase separation between the display region 201 and the non-display region 202 is different. Specifically, the display area 201
Is irradiated with a first ultraviolet ray, and the non-display area 202 is irradiated with a second ultraviolet ray having a lower irradiation intensity than the first ultraviolet ray. As a result, in the display area 201, the degree of progress of phase separation is large, and therefore the particle size of the liquid crystal droplet 502 is small. On the other hand, the degree of progress of phase separation in the non-display area 202 is smaller than that in the display area 201, and therefore the particle size of the liquid crystal droplets 501 is large. From the above, the polymer liquid crystal composite layer 5
00 is formed. The width of the non-display area 202 is 1.0
The value of mm is due to the influence of the wraparound light from the back surface, for example, when irradiating with ultraviolet rays, and it is difficult to reduce the area of the non-display region 202 more than this.

In the second embodiment, the irradiation of the second ultraviolet rays is performed on the entire surface after the ultraviolet reflecting plate 210 is removed, but this is the area irradiated by the first ultraviolet rays (display area). (Corresponding to 201) may be shielded by the ultraviolet reflection plate 210 for irradiation. As a result, when the liquid crystal in the display area 201 is irradiated with the second ultraviolet ray, it has an effect of suppressing decomposition of the liquid crystal or the like due to the ultraviolet ray.

Further, as the means for blocking the ultraviolet rays, the ultraviolet ray reflecting plate for reflecting the ultraviolet rays is adopted, but it is not particularly limited as long as it has the effect of blocking the ultraviolet rays. That is, the means for blocking ultraviolet rays may be either absorption type or reflection type. However, in the case of the absorption type, the temperature rises upon irradiation with ultraviolet rays, and therefore the polymerization temperature needs to be controlled more sufficiently than in the case of the reflection type.

Further, the shielding means at the time of irradiating the ultraviolet rays may be arranged so that their relative positions are aligned above and below the liquid crystal panel. Further, the side portion of the liquid crystal panel may be shielded from light by a light shielding tape or the like. As a result, it is possible to shield the light that circulates from the back surface, the phase separation process of the liquid crystal and the polymer compound proceeds uniformly, and it is possible to manufacture a liquid crystal panel in which the particle diameters of liquid crystal droplets are uniform.

[0114]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be illustratively described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative positions, and the like of the constituent elements described in this embodiment are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to them unless otherwise specified. , It is just an example of explanation.

(Example 1) The liquid crystal display element according to Example 1 corresponds to the first embodiment.

The above liquid crystal display device was manufactured by the following method. That is, on the lower substrate 111 made of glass, the pixel electrodes 105,
The source line 108 and the insulating film 109 are formed, and TF
The T substrate 102 was used. On the other hand, the counter electrode 107, the insulating film 109 and the like were formed on the upper substrate 112 by the same method as described above to form the counter substrate 103.

Next, a thermosetting sealing material (StructBond X) is used as the sealing material 106 on the TFT substrate 102.
N21-S, manufactured by Mitsui Toatsu Chemicals, Inc. was applied so that the application shape was a frame-like pattern lacking the liquid crystal injection port. Further, a panel gap of 10 is formed between the TFT substrate 102 and the counter substrate 103 with the sealing material 106 interposed therebetween.
It was pasted so as to have a thickness of μm.

Subsequently, the TFT substrate 102 and the counter substrate 10
Liquid crystal and UV curable polymer dispersion material PNM between 3 and
A mixture with 201 (manufactured by Dainippon Ink and Chemicals, Inc.) is introduced by a vacuum injection method. At this time, the vacuum inlet 111 formed in the sealing material 106 is not sealed. Then, ultraviolet rays having a main wavelength of 365 nm and an irradiation intensity of ultraviolet rays of 80 mW / cm 2 (measured by an ultraviolet illuminance meter UV-M02 (manufactured by Oak Manufacturing Co., Ltd.)) are irradiated to polymerize the ultraviolet curable polymer dispersion material. As a result, a polymer network type liquid crystal element in which liquid crystal droplets are continuously connected and dispersed in the polymer resin matrix is manufactured.
The polymerization temperature during irradiation with ultraviolet rays was set to 20 ° C. Here, the polymerization conditions and the irradiation intensity of ultraviolet rays are not limited to the above, and may be appropriately set as necessary.

Further, a sealing material (trade name: TB302
6. Sealing treatment was performed using No. 6, manufactured by ThreeBond Co., Ltd. Thus, the liquid crystal display element according to the first embodiment was manufactured. The display area 201 is provided on the inner peripheral side of the non-display area 202 having a frame shape with a width of 3 mm from the inner peripheral surface of the sealing material 106.

Next, the liquid crystal display element according to this example was subjected to a reliability test by changing the ambient temperature. Before that, when observing the liquid crystal display element with a microscope, it was confirmed that no crack was generated in the vicinity of the sealant 106. In the reliability test, the liquid crystal display element was annealed in an oven at 80 ° C. for 10 hours, and then the liquid crystal display element was taken out from the oven and cooled at room temperature. When this liquid crystal display element was observed with a microscope, it was confirmed that cracks 110 were generated in the polymer resin in the vicinity of the sealing material 106. More specifically, the crack 110 was generated in the entire periphery of the non-display area 202 in the vicinity of the sealing material 106. Further, the crack 110 was generated from the sealing material 106 toward the central portion up to a maximum area of 1.5 mm. As described above, it has been clarified that a crack occurs when the liquid crystal display element is placed in an environment in which the ambient temperature changes from a high temperature to a low temperature. The liquid crystal display element according to the present embodiment has a width of 3 between the sealant 106 and the display area 201.
Since the non-display area 202 is provided so as to have a frame shape of mm, cracks do not occur in the polymer resin in the display area 201 and good display is obtained.

From the above, depending on the ambient temperature change,
In the liquid crystal display element in which the polymer resin matrix in the vicinity of the sealing material 106 has a crack, the display area 201 is a region other than the region in which a crack is generated, so that display unevenness does not occur on the display screen and high reliability is achieved. It is possible to obtain a liquid crystal display element having excellent display characteristics.

Further, the same experiment was conducted by changing the distance between the sealing material 106 and the display area 201. The results are shown in Table 1 below. The evaluation criterion for determining the degree of display unevenness is ⊚ when a crack has not occurred in the display area 201, and ◯ when a crack has occurred in a part of several pixels around the display area 201. The case where cracks are generated in almost all of the pixels around the display area 201 is Δ, and the case where cracks are densely generated from the boundary between the display area 201 and the non-display area 202 to several pixels or more inside. It is marked as x.

[Table 1] As is clear from Table 1, when the distance is smaller than 1.5 mm, the crack 110 of the polymer resin matrix is generated in the display area, which causes streak-shaped display unevenness on the display screen. confirmed. That is, it can be said that the region where the crack 110 is generated is within a frame-shaped region having a width of 1.5 mm from the inner peripheral surface of the sealing material 106. Therefore, the display area 2 should be spaced at least 1.5 mm from the sealing material 106.
When 01 was formed, the display unevenness was eliminated and good display was obtained. Furthermore, as an implementation requirement for achieving the most excellent effect, it is more preferable to secure an interval of 3.0 mm or more. Here, the thermosetting sealing material 106 and the display area 20
When the distance from 1 is 3.0 mm, there is no crack in the display area 201, so the display is good, and the crack 110 was visible in the non-display area 202. When the crack 110 was examined, it was found that the inside of the crack 110 was a vacuum.

From the above results, the liquid crystal display element according to the present example does not cause streak-shaped display unevenness on the display screen even if the crack 110 occurs, and exhibits good display characteristics. confirmed.

Example 2 The liquid crystal display element according to Example 2 corresponds to the above-described Embodiment 1.

The difference between the liquid crystal display element according to the first embodiment and the liquid crystal display element according to the second embodiment is that the entire area of the polymer liquid crystal composite layer 104 is the display area and the crack 110
It is different in that it is filled with a substance whose main component is liquid crystal.

First, a liquid crystal display device was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1. Next, with respect to the liquid crystal display element,
A reliability test was conducted in the same manner as in Example 1 above. After the reliability test, the liquid crystal display element was observed with a microscope, and it was confirmed that cracks 110 were generated in the polymer resin near the sealant 106.

Further, the liquid crystal display element 101 is again placed at 80 ° C.
When annealed in the oven for 2 hours, a substance mainly composed of liquid crystal existing around the crack 110 flowed into the crack 110 and was blocked. At this time, the difference in refractive index from the region other than the crack 110 became small, and the crack 110 became inconspicuous. Therefore, it was confirmed that when the crack 110 is generated, it is effective to close the crack 110 by performing heat treatment or the like and make the crack 110 inconspicuous.

From the above results, it is confirmed that the liquid crystal display element according to the present embodiment shows good display characteristics even if the crack 110 is generated, inconspicuous streaky display unevenness on the display screen. Was done.

Example 3 The liquid crystal display element according to Example 3 corresponds to the above-mentioned Embodiment 2. The liquid crystal display element was manufactured by the method described below.

That is, similarly to the first embodiment, the pixel substrate 105, the source line 108 and the insulating film 10 are formed on the lower substrate 111 made of glass by vacuum evaporation and etching.
9 etc. were formed and used as the TFT substrate 102. Further, after printing Optomer AL5417 (manufactured by Japan Synthetic Rubber Co., Ltd.) on the lower substrate 111 by a printing method, it was heated in an oven and cured to form an insulating film 109. On the other hand, the upper substrate 112
Then, the counter electrode 107 was formed by vacuum vapor deposition and etching in the same manner as above. Further, after coating Optomer AL5417 on the upper substrate 112, it was cured in an oven in the same manner as above to form the insulating film 109, thereby forming the counter substrate 103.

Then, a thermosetting sealant (Structbond XN21-S, manufactured by Mitsui Toatsu Kagaku Co., Ltd.) was applied as the sealant 106 on the TFT substrate 102, and the coating shape was the liquid crystal injection port. It was applied so as to form a frame-shaped pattern. Further, glass spacers were scattered, and the TFT substrate 102 and the counter substrate 103 were attached to each other with the sealing material 106 interposed therebetween so that the panel gap became 13 μm.

Next, the TFT substrate 102 and the counter substrate 103
Between the liquid crystal and UV curable polymer dispersion material PNM2
A liquid crystal polymer mixed solution containing 01 and 01 was introduced by a vacuum injection method to prepare a liquid crystal panel.

Further, as shown in FIG. 16, the sealing material 10
After arranging the ultraviolet ray reflectors 210 and 210 so as to shield the non-display area 202 and the sealing material 106 in the vicinity of 6, an ultraviolet ray generator (product name; UVA702-IMNSC-BB01, Ushio) using an ultra-high pressure mercury lamp as a light source. A first ultraviolet ray was irradiated from the counter substrate 103 side for 60 seconds using a (manufactured by Denki) 211. As a result, the ultraviolet reflector 2
The polymer in the region other than the region shielded by 10.210 was polymerized, and the liquid crystal and the polymer matrix were phase-separated. Where liquid crystal panel temperature (polymerization temperature)
Was set so that the surface temperature of the panel was 19 ° C. by a circulating constant temperature bath. Furthermore, the intensity of ultraviolet rays is measured by the ultraviolet illuminometer U.
Measured using V-M02 (Oak Seisakusho), 100
It was set to be mW / cm2.

Next, the ultraviolet ray reflectors 210, 210 were removed, and the entire surface of the panel was irradiated with the second ultraviolet ray for 60 seconds.
The irradiation intensity of the second ultraviolet ray was set to be 500 mW / cm ² . As a result, the polymer dispersed material in the non-display area 202 is polymerized and the liquid crystal and the polymer matrix are phase-separated. As described above, when the liquid crystal polymer mixed solution is irradiated with ultraviolet rays, the non-display area 202
By setting the irradiation intensity of the ultraviolet light irradiating to the display area 201 to be larger than that of the display area 201, the existence form of the liquid crystal droplets can be controlled. That is, when the irradiation intensity of ultraviolet rays is increased, the phase separation between the liquid crystal and the polymer compound further progresses, so that the liquid crystal droplets 206 exist in the non-display area 202 in a state of being dispersed independently. On the other hand, in the display area 201, the liquid crystal droplets 205 exist in a state where some of them are in contact with each other and are continuous.

When the ultraviolet rays are irradiated as described above, the total irradiation intensity of the ultraviolet rays applied to the non-display area 202 is 600 mW / cm ² , and the display area 201
The total irradiation intensity of the ultraviolet rays radiated on the surface is 500 mW
/ Cm ² . Therefore, apparently, the irradiation amount of the ultraviolet light applied to the non-display region 202 is larger than the irradiation amount of the ultraviolet light applied to the display region 201. However, in the display area 201, the phase separation between the liquid crystal and the polymer compound is completed at the stage when the first ultraviolet irradiation is completed. Therefore, the reaction does not proceed even if the ultraviolet ray of 500 mW / cm ² is irradiated thereafter. As a result, the irradiation amount of ultraviolet rays when performing phase separation is substantially the same as the non-display area 202.
The amount of irradiation in this is large.

The structure of the liquid crystal droplets 205 and 206 was confirmed by the following method. That is, a pair of substrates made of glass are bonded together with a sealing material, a liquid crystal polymer mixed solution made of the same composition as described above is injected, and polymerized under the same polymerization conditions to produce a liquid crystal panel. Here, no TFT or the like is formed on the liquid crystal panel. One of the substrates of the produced liquid crystal panel was peeled off, and the particle size of the liquid crystal droplet was measured. More specifically, the liquid crystal droplets were observed with a microscope, and an average value of particle diameters was obtained using an image processing device. As a result of the observation, the average particle size of the liquid crystal droplets in the display area 201 is 1.
The thickness was 2 μm, and some of them were connected to each other. On the other hand, the average particle size of the liquid crystal droplets in the non-display area 202 was as small as 0.6 μm, and the liquid crystal droplets had almost independent shapes.

From the above, also in the liquid crystal display element according to the present embodiment, as in the case of the above structure, the display area 2
It was assumed that the liquid crystal droplets 205 in No. 01 had a structure in which some of them were connected to each other, and the liquid crystal droplets 206 in the non-display area 202 had mutually independent dispersed structures.

Then, the produced liquid crystal panel was placed in an oven and annealed. The processing conditions were 80 ° C. and 10 hours. Then, the temperature was cooled to room temperature, and the state of generation of cracks in the polymer resin matrix was observed with a microscope. As a result, it was confirmed that cracks did not occur in the polymer resin matrix in the vicinity of the sealing material 106 and display unevenness did not occur in the display region 201.

When the ultraviolet ray was irradiated for the second time, the entire surface was irradiated except for the ultraviolet ray reflecting plate 210.
The area corresponding to the display area 201 irradiated for the second time may be shielded by the ultraviolet reflecting plate 210 for irradiation. This allows
By blocking the above-mentioned region irradiated for the first time, there is an effect of suppressing decomposition of liquid crystal or the like in the display region 201 due to ultraviolet rays.

Further, the irradiation intensity of the ultraviolet rays can be controlled by changing the lamp intensity of the light source. Specifically, for example, when using an ultra-high pressure mercury lamp, a high pressure mercury lamp, etc., the wavelength peak of ultraviolet rays is 365 nm and the irradiation intensity of ultraviolet rays in the visible light region is low, so that the decomposition of liquid crystal can be suppressed, It is possible to prevent a decrease in reliability. On the other hand, when a metal halide lamp or the like is used, since there is a lamp intensity even in the visible light region, there is a problem in reliability such as disassembling the liquid crystal.

Example 4 The liquid crystal display element according to Example 4 corresponds to the third embodiment. For the liquid crystal display device, a liquid crystal panel was produced in the same manner as in Example 3.

Further, similarly to the third embodiment, the non-display area 202 and the sealing material 1 near the sealing material 106 are formed.
06 was shielded by the ultraviolet ray reflectors 210, 210, the surface temperature of the liquid crystal panel was kept at 19 ° C., and the first ultraviolet ray was irradiated from the counter substrate 103 side. Here, the irradiation conditions are an irradiation intensity of 100 mW / cm ² and an irradiation time of 6
It was set to 0 seconds.

Thus, the ultraviolet reflectors 210, 210
The polymer precursor in a region other than the region shielded by was polymerized, and the liquid crystal and the polymer resin matrix were phase-separated. As a result, in the display area 201, some of the liquid crystal droplets are connected to each other. Further, in the non-display area 202, it was uncured and was in a liquid state in which a liquid crystal and a polymer compound were mixed. Here, the liquid crystal panel temperature (polymerization temperature) was set so that the surface temperature of the liquid crystal panel was 19 ° C. by a circulating constant temperature bath.

Subsequently, the produced liquid crystal panel was placed in an oven and annealed. The processing conditions were 80 ° C. and 10 hours. Then, the temperature was cooled to room temperature, and the state of generation of cracks in the polymer resin matrix was observed with a microscope. As a result, cracks did not occur in the polymer resin matrix in the vicinity of the sealant 106, and display unevenness did not occur in the display area 201, and a good display screen was obtained.

Example 5 The liquid crystal display element according to Example 5 corresponds to the fourth embodiment. The liquid crystal display device was manufactured as follows.

First, similarly to the first embodiment, the pixel electrode 105, the source line 108, and the insulating film 10 are formed on the lower substrate 111 made of glass by vacuum evaporation and etching.
9 etc. were formed and used as the TFT substrate 102. Further, Optomer AL5417 was printed on the lower substrate 111 by a printing method, and then heated in an oven to be cured to form an insulating film 109. On the other hand, the counter electrode 107, the insulating film 109 and the like were formed on the upper substrate 112 by the same method as described above to form the counter substrate 103. Subsequently, a thermosetting sealant was printed as the sealant 106 on the TFT substrate 102 so that the coating shape was a frame-shaped pattern lacking the liquid crystal injection port.

Next, a required amount of a liquid crystal polymer mixed solution containing liquid crystal and the ultraviolet curable polymer dispersion material PNM201 was dropped into a region including the display region 201 using a nozzle. Here, as a method of disposing the polymer material in the display region 201, in addition to the above, the non-display region 202 may be masked and applied by a spinner. Also, rollers, etc.
A general printing method may be used.

Further, glass spacers are scattered and the above TF
The T substrate 102 and the counter substrate 103 are connected to each other by the sealing material 10 described above.
A liquid crystal panel was produced by bonding the two via 6 so that the panel gap was 10 μm. Here, the sealing material 10
The distance between the inner peripheral surface of 6 and the display region 201 was set to about 3 mm. The TFT substrate 102 and the counter substrate 103
Since the bonding process with was performed in air, the sealing material 1
The non-display area 202 near 06 is filled with air.

Further, ultraviolet rays were irradiated for 60 seconds from the counter substrate 103 side using an ultraviolet ray generator 211 having an ultrahigh pressure mercury lamp as a light source. As a result, the polymer precursor in the display region 201 was polymerized and the liquid crystal and the polymer resin matrix were phase-separated. Here, the temperature of the liquid crystal panel (polymerization temperature) was set to 20 ° C. by means of a circulating constant temperature bath. Furthermore, the irradiation intensity of ultraviolet rays is 80 mW / cm
^It was set to be ² .

When the liquid crystal panel was observed, it was found that the side gap layer 412 was filled with air, and the polymer liquid crystal composite layer 400 was formed in the display region 201.

Finally, the inlet is sealed with a sealing material (TB30
No. 26, manufactured by ThreeBond Co., Ltd. was used for sealing.

Further, when the produced liquid crystal panel was observed with a microscope, the non-display area 202 near the sealant 106 was observed.
Then, no crack was confirmed. Next, the liquid crystal panel was annealed in an oven at 80 ° C. for 10 hours and cooled at room temperature. As a result, since the polymer liquid crystal composite layer does not exist near the sealant 106, a liquid crystal display element having good display characteristics without cracks was obtained.

Example 6 The liquid crystal display element according to Example 6 corresponds to the fourth embodiment.

The liquid crystal display element according to the sixth embodiment is different from the liquid crystal display element according to the fifth embodiment in the non-display area 20.
The difference is that a polymer resin layer is provided instead of a vacuum of 2 (see FIG. 17).

The above liquid crystal display device was produced as follows.

First, in the same manner as in Example 5, the pixel electrode 105, the source line 108, the insulating film 109 and the like were formed on the lower substrate 111 to form the TFT substrate 102. On the other hand, the counter electrode 1 is formed on the upper substrate 112 by the same method as described above.
07, the insulating film 109, etc. were formed and it was set as the counter substrate 103. Then, the sealing material 10 is formed on the TFT substrate 102.
As No. 6, a thermosetting sealing material was printed such that the coating shape was a frame-shaped pattern lacking the liquid crystal injection port.

Next, 90% of a polymerizable monomer (2-ethylhexyl acrylate), 9% of an oligomer (trade name; biscoat 828, manufactured by Osaka Organic Chemical Industry), and a polymerization initiator (trade name: benzyl methyl ketal, manufactured by Nippon Chemical Co., Ltd.). 1)
% To prepare a polymer composition A. Further, 20% of the polymer composition A was mixed with 80% of a liquid crystal material TL205 (manufactured by Merck Ltd.) to prepare a polymer composition B.

Subsequently, the required amount of the polymer composition B was dropped onto a region including the display region 201 by a nozzle. Further, after the polymer composition A was dropped onto the non-display area 202 by a nozzle, the TFT substrate 102 and the counter substrate 103 were bonded together.

Finally, the liquid crystal panel was irradiated with ultraviolet rays in the same manner as in Example 4 to fabricate the liquid crystal display element according to this example.

Observation of the above liquid crystal display device revealed that the display region 201 was a polymer dispersed liquid crystal in which liquid crystal droplets were dispersed and held in a polymer resin matrix, and the non-display region 202 had only polymerized polymer resin. It was a composition. That is,
The polymer resin layer 521 was formed.

Subsequently, the produced liquid crystal panel was placed in an oven and annealed. The processing conditions were 80 ° C. and 10 hours. Then, the temperature was cooled to room temperature, and the state of generation of cracks in the polymer resin matrix was observed with a microscope. As a result, cracks did not occur in the polymer resin matrix in the vicinity of the sealant 106, and display unevenness did not occur in the display area 201, and a good display screen was obtained.

The reason for the above is that since only the polymer resin is present in the vicinity of the sealing material 106, the fracture strength against the strain of the lower substrate 111 or the upper substrate 112 is higher than that in the case where liquid crystal droplets are present. This is because it is increasing.

The polymer resin layer 5 near the sealant 106
Since 21 is the same material as the polymer resin matrix in the polymer liquid crystal composite layer 400, the boundary between the polymer liquid crystal composite layer 400 and the polymer resin layer 521 becomes inconspicuous.

The polymer resin layer 521 may be an ultraviolet curable resin or a thermosetting resin. The ultraviolet curable resin is not particularly limited as long as it is a polymer resin that is cured by ultraviolet light by containing a polymerization initiator or the like, and various conventionally known resins can be adopted. That is, no crack is generated in the polymer resin layer 521 and good display can be obtained. Further, when the non-display area 202 starts polymerization later than the display area 201 when irradiated with ultraviolet rays, the polymer resin layer 521 and the polymer liquid crystal composite layer 40
This has the effect of making the boundary with 0 more inconspicuous.

Example 7 The liquid crystal display element according to Example 7 corresponds to the fifth embodiment. The liquid crystal display element was manufactured by the method described below.

First, in the same manner as in Example 3, the pixel electrode 105, the source line 108, the insulating film 109 and the like were formed on the lower substrate 111 to form the TFT substrate 102. On the other hand, the counter electrode 1 is formed on the upper substrate 112 by the same method as described above.
07, the insulating film 109, etc. were formed and it was set as the counter substrate 103. Then, the sealing material 10 is formed on the TFT substrate 102.
After printing so as to form a 6-frame pattern, the TFT 10
2 and the counter substrate 103 were attached to each other.

Further, similarly to the third embodiment, the non-display area 202 and the sealing material 1 near the sealing material 106 are formed.
06 is shielded by the ultraviolet reflectors 210, 210, the surface temperature of the liquid crystal panel is maintained at 19 ° C., and the first ultraviolet light having an irradiation intensity of 100 mW / cm ² is applied from the counter substrate 103 side.
Irradiated for 2 seconds. As a result, the ultraviolet reflectors 210 and 21
The polymer precursor in a region other than the region shielded by 0 was polymerized, and the liquid crystal and the polymer resin matrix were phase-separated. As a result, in the display area 201, some of the liquid crystal droplets are connected to each other. here,
The liquid crystal panel temperature (polymerization temperature) was set by a circulating thermostat so that the surface temperature of the liquid crystal panel was 19 ° C.

Next, the ultraviolet ray reflecting plates 210, 210 were removed, and the entire surface of the panel was irradiated with the second ultraviolet ray for 240 seconds. The irradiation intensity of the second ultraviolet ray was set to be 10 mW / cm ² . By thus reducing the irradiation intensity of ultraviolet rays, phase separation between the liquid crystal and the polymer compound is suppressed, and therefore the degree of polymerization of the polymer is also small. Therefore, the particle size of the liquid crystal droplet 502 in the non-display area 202 is
The particle size of the liquid crystal droplets 502 is larger than the particle size of the liquid crystal droplets 501 in the display region 201, and most of the liquid crystal droplets 502 exist in a connected state. On the other hand, in the display region 201, the liquid crystal droplets 501 having a smaller particle diameter than the liquid crystal droplets 502 are present in a state where some of the liquid crystal droplets 501 are in contact with each other and are continuous.

The structures of the liquid crystal drops 501 and 502 were confirmed by the following method. That is, a pair of substrates made of glass were bonded together with a sealing material, a liquid crystal polymer mixed solution made of the same composition as described above was injected, and polymerization was performed under the same polymerization conditions to produce a liquid crystal panel. Here, no TFT or the like is formed on the liquid crystal panel. One of the substrates of the produced liquid crystal panel was peeled off, and the particle size of the liquid crystal droplet was measured. More specifically, the liquid crystal droplets were observed with a microscope, and an average value of particle diameters was obtained using an image processing device. As a result of the observation, the liquid crystal droplets had a particle diameter of 1.2 μm and had a shape in which some of them were connected to each other. On the other hand, the particle size of the liquid crystal droplets in the non-display area 202 was as large as 2 μm, and most of them had a shape connected to each other. Non-display area 20 at this time
The liquid crystal fraction of 2 was 80%.

From the above, also in the liquid crystal display element according to this embodiment, as in the case of the above structure, the display area 2 is formed.
It was inferred that the liquid crystal droplets 501 in 01 had a structure in which some of them were connected to each other, and the liquid crystal droplets 502 in the non-display area 202 had a structure in which most of them were connected to each other.

Subsequently, the produced liquid crystal panel was placed in an oven and annealed. The processing conditions were 80 ° C. and 10 hours. Then, the temperature was cooled to room temperature, and the state of generation of cracks in the polymer resin matrix was observed with a microscope. As a result, it was confirmed that cracks did not occur in the polymer resin matrix in the vicinity of the sealing material 106 and display unevenness did not occur in the display region 201.

The present inventors have found that the lower the irradiation intensity of ultraviolet rays, the lower the polymerization rate and the larger the particle size of liquid crystal droplets. Therefore, if the irradiation intensity of the second ultraviolet rays with which the non-display area 202 is irradiated is smaller than the irradiation intensity of the first ultraviolet rays with which the display area 201 is irradiated, the sealing material 1
The particle size of the liquid crystal droplet near 06 is larger than that of the display area 201, and as a result, the above configuration is obtained.

Here, the irradiation intensity of the first and second ultraviolet rays is changed to change the degree of display unevenness due to cracks and the display area 201.
The gain, the particle size of the liquid crystal droplets, etc. were examined. The results are shown in Tables 2 and 3 below. The evaluation criteria shown in Table 2 are ⊚ when the contrast ratio is 250, ◯ when the contrast ratio is 100, Δ when the contrast ratio is 80, and x when the contrast ratio is 30. .
Also, the results shown in Table 3 show that the irradiation intensity of the first ultraviolet ray is 10 or 2 with respect to the irradiation intensity value of the second ultraviolet ray.
The figure shows the case where it is changed to 0, 50, 70, 100, 200, 300, 400.

[Table 2]

[Table 3] To increase the contrast ratio of the LCD panel to 100 or more,
The gain G must be 2.5 or less. Therefore, the irradiation intensity of the first ultraviolet to be irradiated to the display region 201 is preferably within the range in terms of gain of ^{50mW / cm 2 ~400mW / cm 2} . That is, when replaced by the particle size of the liquid crystal droplets, it corresponds to the range of 0.8 μm to 1.4 μm. On the other hand, in the non-display area 202 near the sealant 106, in order to eliminate display unevenness in the display area 201,
It is necessary for the liquid crystal to be in a state in which it easily flows even during cooling in the reliability test. Therefore, it is desirable that the particle size of the liquid crystal droplets in the vicinity of the sealing material 106 is 1.8 μm or more from the results of Table 3. This is 20 m at the irradiation intensity of the second ultraviolet ray.
It corresponds to W / cm ² or less.

[0174]

The present invention is carried out in the form described above, and has the following effects.

That is, even if a crack is generated in the area near the sealing material due to a change in the ambient temperature, the area where the crack is generated is not included in the display area. Therefore, the streaky display unevenness caused by the crack is displayed. The effect of being able to be visually recognized on the screen is exhibited.

In the non-display area near the sealing material,
A structure in which the liquid crystal droplets are dispersed independently, or by making the size larger than the particle diameter of the liquid crystal droplets in the display area, the occurrence of cracks is prevented, and while maintaining good contrast,
It is possible to suppress the occurrence of streaky display unevenness.

Further, by not forming the polymer liquid crystal composite layer in the non-display area near the sealing material, the occurrence of cracks is prevented, and the streak-like display unevenness is generated while maintaining good contrast. There is an effect that can suppress.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an outline of a liquid crystal display element according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view showing an outline of the liquid crystal display element according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 shows the liquid crystal display element according to the first embodiment at 80 ° C.
6 is a graph showing the change in the distance between the sealing material and the crack with respect to the standing time when left for a long time.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a main part of the liquid crystal display element.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a state of a polymer liquid crystal composite layer having a structure in which a polymer resin spreads in a three-dimensional network in a continuous phase of liquid crystal in the liquid crystal display device.

6 (a) is a schematic sectional view showing an outline of a liquid crystal display element according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention, and FIG.
6C is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the shape of liquid crystal droplets in the display region, and FIG. 6C is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the shape of liquid crystal droplets in the non-display region.

FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the method of manufacturing the liquid crystal display element according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a schematic sectional view showing an outline of a liquid crystal display element according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the method for manufacturing the liquid crystal display element according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a schematic sectional view showing an outline of a liquid crystal display element according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a schematic sectional view showing an outline of a liquid crystal display element according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the shape of liquid crystal droplets in the display area of the liquid crystal display element.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the shape of liquid crystal droplets in the non-display area of the liquid crystal display element.

FIG. 14 is a schematic sectional view showing an outline of liquid crystal droplets of the liquid crystal display element according to the fifth embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a schematic cross sectional view for illustrating the method for manufacturing the liquid crystal display element according to the fifth embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the method for manufacturing the liquid crystal display element according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a schematic sectional view showing an outline of a liquid crystal display element according to Example 6 of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining a crack generation mechanism in a conventional liquid crystal display element.

[Explanation of symbols]

102 TFT substrate 103 Counter substrate 104, 204, 300, 400, 500 Polymer liquid crystal composite layer 105 Pixel electrode 107 Counter electrode 109 Insulating film 110 Crack 201 Display area 202 Non-display area 205, 206, 501, 502 Liquid crystal droplet 412 side Space layer

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Tsuyoshi Uemura               1006 Kadoma, Kadoma-shi, Osaka Matsushitaden               Instrument industry Co., Ltd.                (56) Reference JP-A-7-159762 (JP, A)                 JP-A-5-203931 (JP, A)                 JP 9-21999 (JP, A)

Claims (22)

(57) [Claims] 1. A liquid crystal droplet is dispersed and held in a matrix continuous phase containing a polymer compound, or a liquid crystal is dispersed and held in a network of a three-dimensional mesh matrix containing a polymer compound. The polymer liquid crystal composite layer is disposed between a pair of substrates in which a pixel electrode and a switching element are formed on the inner surface of at least one substrate, and the pair of substrates are bonded by a sealant to form the polymer liquid crystal. A liquid crystal display element having a structure in which an outer peripheral surface of a composite layer and an inner peripheral surface of the sealing material are in close contact with each other, wherein the display element is in the vicinity of the sealing material in the entire area of the polymer liquid crystal composite layer. A liquid crystal display device, characterized in that the inside of the region where cracks occur is the display region. 2. A liquid crystal droplet is dispersed and held in a matrix continuous phase containing a polymer compound, or a liquid crystal is dispersed and held in a network of a three-dimensional mesh matrix containing a polymer compound. The polymer liquid crystal composite layer is disposed between a pair of substrates in which a pixel electrode and a switching element are formed on the inner surface of at least one substrate, and the pair of substrates are bonded by a sealant to form the polymer liquid crystal. A liquid crystal display element having a structure in which an outer peripheral surface of a composite layer and an inner peripheral surface of the sealing material are in close contact with each other, wherein the display element is a crack of a polymer liquid crystal composite layer generated in the vicinity of the sealing material, Liquid crystal display device characterized by being filled with a substance containing liquid crystal 3. Liquid crystal droplets are dispersed and held in a matrix continuous phase containing a polymer compound, or liquid crystals are dispersed and held in a network of a three-dimensional mesh matrix containing a polymer compound. The polymer liquid crystal composite layer is disposed between a pair of substrates in which a pixel electrode and a switching element are formed on the inner surface of at least one substrate, and the pair of substrates are bonded by a sealant to form the polymer liquid crystal. A liquid crystal display element having a structure in which an outer peripheral surface of a composite layer and an inner peripheral surface of the sealing material are in close contact with each other, wherein the display element has a main body portion having the pixel electrode and a switching element as a display region, The peripheral portion surrounding the main body is configured to be a non-display region, and the display region of the polymer liquid crystal composite layer has a liquid crystal droplet partially in a matrix continuous phase including a polymer compound. Liquid crystals are dispersed and held in a state of being connected to each other, or liquid crystals are dispersed and held in the network of a three-dimensional network matrix composed of a polymer compound, and the non-display region of the polymer liquid crystal composite layer is a polymer compound. A liquid crystal display device having a structure in which substantially spherical or spheroidal liquid crystal droplets are dispersed and held in an independent state in a matrix constituted by including. 4. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 3 , wherein the liquid crystal fraction in the display area is larger than the liquid crystal fraction in the non-display area. 5. The liquid crystal fraction in the display area is 70%.
Above, in the range of 80% or less, the liquid crystal display device according to claim 3 or claim 4, characterized in that in the liquid crystal fraction in the non-display area is less than 70%. 6. The particle size of the liquid crystal droplets in the non-display area where the particle size of the liquid crystal droplets in the display area or the distance between the meshes is in the range of 0.8 μm or more and 1.4 μm or less. Is 0.8
The liquid crystal display device according to claim 3 , wherein the liquid crystal display device has a thickness of less than μm. 7. A liquid crystal droplet is dispersed and held in a matrix continuous phase containing a polymer compound, or a liquid crystal is dispersed and held in a network of a three-dimensional mesh matrix containing a polymer compound. The polymer liquid crystal composite layer is disposed between a pair of substrates in which a pixel electrode and a switching element are formed on the inner surface of at least one substrate, and the pair of substrates are bonded by a sealant to form the polymer liquid crystal. A liquid crystal display element having a structure in which an outer peripheral surface of a composite layer and an inner peripheral surface of the sealing material are in close contact with each other, wherein the display element has a main body portion having the pixel electrode and a switching element as a display region, The peripheral portion surrounding the main body is configured to be a non-display region, and the display region of the polymer liquid crystal composite layer has a liquid crystal droplet partially in a matrix continuous phase including a polymer compound. The liquid crystal is dispersed and held in a state of being connected to each other, or the liquid crystal is dispersed and held in the mesh of a three-dimensional mesh matrix composed of a polymer compound, and the non-display area of the polymer liquid crystal composite layer is higher than the liquid crystal. A liquid crystal display device, characterized in that the liquid crystal display device and the molecular compound are formed in a mutually compatible state. 8. A liquid crystal droplet is dispersed and held in a matrix continuous phase containing a polymer compound, or a liquid crystal is dispersed and held in a mesh of a three-dimensional mesh matrix containing a polymer compound. A liquid crystal display device having a structure in which a polymer liquid crystal composite layer is disposed between a pair of substrates in which a pixel electrode and a switching element are formed on at least one inner surface of the substrate, and the pair of substrates are bonded by a sealing material. In the display element, the main body having the switching element and the pixel electrode serves as a display area, and the peripheral portion surrounding the main body serves as a non-display area. The polymer liquid crystal composite layer Is disposed in the display region, and a side gap layer is provided in a non-display region portion between the polymer liquid crystal composite layer and the sealing material. 9. The liquid crystal display element according to claim 8 , wherein the side gap layer is in a vacuum state. 10. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 8 , wherein the side gap layer is filled with a gas. 11. The liquid crystal display element according to claim 8 , wherein the side gap layer is filled with a polymer compound. 12. A liquid crystal droplet is dispersed and held in a matrix continuous phase containing a polymer compound, or a liquid crystal is dispersed and held in a network of a three-dimensional mesh matrix containing a polymer compound. The polymer liquid crystal composite layer is disposed between a pair of substrates in which a pixel electrode and a switching element are formed on the inner surface of at least one substrate, and the pair of substrates are bonded by a sealant to form the polymer liquid crystal. A liquid crystal display element having a structure in which an outer peripheral surface of a composite layer and an inner peripheral surface of the sealing material are in close contact with each other, wherein the display element has a main body portion having the pixel electrode and a switching element as a display region, The peripheral portion surrounding the main body is configured to be the non-display area, and the liquid crystal droplet size in the display area or the mesh interval is the liquid crystal in the non-display area near the sealing material. drop Particle size or a liquid crystal display element characterized by less than the distance between the eyes of the net. 13. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 12 , wherein the liquid crystal fraction in the display area is smaller than the liquid crystal fraction in the non-display area. 14. The liquid crystal fraction in the display area is 70.
14. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 13 , wherein the liquid crystal fraction is in the range of not less than 80% and not more than 80%, and the liquid crystal fraction in the non-display area is more than 80%. 15. The difference between the liquid crystal fraction in the display area and the liquid crystal fraction in the non-display area is at least 5%.
14. The liquid crystal display element according to claim 13, which is the above. 16. The liquid crystal droplets in the non-display area have a grain size or mesh spacing of 1.8 μm or more, and the liquid crystal droplets or mesh spacing in the display area have a grain diameter of 0.8 μm or more and 14 μm or less. The liquid crystal display element according to claim 12 , wherein the liquid crystal display element is within the range. 17. The non-display region, the liquid crystal display device according to any one of claims 3 to 16, wherein the width of at least 1.0mm or more frame-shaped region. 18. A polymer liquid crystal composite layer having liquid crystal droplets dispersed in a polymer compound is disposed between a pair of substrates having a pixel electrode and a switching element formed on at least one inner surface of the substrate. A structure in which the pair of substrates are bonded together by a sealing material, and a main body portion having the pixel electrode and the switching element serves as a display area, and a peripheral portion surrounding the main body portion serves as a non-display area. A method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device, wherein the manufacturing method is, between the pair of substrates, after disposing a liquid crystal polymer precursor phase solution containing a liquid crystal and a polymer precursor,
By irradiating the surface of the substrate with ultraviolet rays to polymerize and cure the polymer precursor in the liquid crystal polymer precursor phase solution, the liquid crystal is phase-separated, and the liquid crystal droplets are formed in the matrix continuous phase containing the polymer compound. Or a phase separation step of producing a polymer liquid crystal composite layer in which liquid crystal is dispersed and held in the mesh of a three-dimensional mesh matrix composed of a polymer compound. By setting the irradiation intensity of the first ultraviolet light with which the region corresponding to the display region is irradiated to be smaller than the irradiation intensity of the second ultraviolet light with which the region corresponding to the non-display region is irradiated, The display area of the liquid crystal composite layer is dispersed and held in a matrix continuous phase composed of a polymer compound with some liquid crystal droplets connected to each other, or a three-dimensional network composed of a polymer compound. A liquid crystal is dispersed and held structure in the mesh of Jo matrix, the polymer non-display area of the liquid crystal composite layer, the matrix continuous phase which is unrealized constituting the polymer compound, substantially spherical or spheroidal shape 2. A method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device, which has a structure in which the liquid crystal droplets are held independently of each other in a dispersed state. 19. A polymer liquid crystal composite layer in which liquid crystal droplets are dispersed in a polymer compound is disposed between at least one substrate on which a pixel electrode and a switching element are formed between a pair of substrates. A liquid crystal having a structure in which the pair of substrates are bonded together by a sealing material, and a main body portion having the pixel electrode and the switching element serves as a display region, and a peripheral portion surrounding the main body portion serves as a non-display region. A method for manufacturing a display device, wherein the manufacturing method is, between the pair of substrates, after disposing a liquid crystal polymer precursor phase solution containing a liquid crystal and a polymer precursor,
The entire surface of the substrate is irradiated with ultraviolet rays to polymerize and cure the polymer precursor in the liquid crystal polymer precursor phase solution to cause phase separation of the liquid crystal, and the liquid crystal is contained in a matrix continuous phase containing the polymer compound. The method comprises a phase separation step of producing a polymer liquid crystal composite layer in which droplets are dispersed and held, or liquid crystals are dispersed and held in the network of a three-dimensional network matrix composed of a polymer compound. A method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device, characterized in that a shielding means for shielding ultraviolet rays is provided to an area corresponding to the non-display area, and the ultraviolet rays are irradiated. 20. The shielding means, patent claim 1, characterized in that a reflector made of a material that reflects ultraviolet
9. The method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display element according to item 9 . 21. A polymer liquid crystal composite layer in which liquid crystal droplets are dispersed in a polymer compound is disposed between a pair of substrates having a pixel electrode and a switching element formed on at least one inner surface of the substrate, Manufacture of a liquid crystal display device in which the pair of substrates are bonded together by a sealing material, the main body portion having the pixel electrode and the switching element serves as a display region, and the peripheral portion surrounding the main body portion serves as a non-display region. A method, wherein the manufacturing method is, between the pair of substrates, after disposing a liquid crystal polymer precursor phase solution containing a liquid crystal and a polymer precursor,
By irradiating the surface of the substrate with ultraviolet rays to polymerize and cure the polymer precursor in the liquid crystal polymer precursor phase solution, the liquid crystal is phase-separated, and the liquid crystal droplets are formed in the matrix continuous phase containing the polymer compound. Or a phase separation step of producing a polymer liquid crystal composite layer in which liquid crystals are dispersed and held in the mesh of a three-dimensional mesh matrix formed by containing a polymer compound. By setting the irradiation intensity of the first ultraviolet light with which the region corresponding to the display region is irradiated to be higher than the irradiation intensity of the second ultraviolet light with which the region corresponding to the non-display region is irradiated, the polymer liquid crystal The display region of the composite layer is a three-dimensional network structure in which liquid crystal droplets are partially dispersed and held in a matrix continuous phase containing a polymer compound, or the matrix is composed of a polymer compound. Ma The structure is such that the liquid crystal is dispersed and held in the mesh of the trix, and the particle size of the liquid crystal droplets in the display area or the spacing of the meshes is defined as the particle size of the liquid crystal droplets in the non-display area or the spacing of the meshes. A method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device, which is characterized in that 22. The irradiation intensity of the first ultraviolet ray is 50 m
W / cm ² or more, according to claim 2 in which the irradiation intensity of the second ultraviolet rays, characterized in that it is 20 mW / cm ² or less
1. The method for manufacturing the liquid crystal display element according to 1 .