JPS6321623A - Liquid crystal display element - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce damage due to electrostatic discharging in a manufacturing process by forming extremely small projections at specific positions of electrode patterns of an upper and a lower substrates. CONSTITUTION:The extremely small projections (a) and (b) are provided at the part of the narrow gap formed of an upper electrode 1 and an upper plate electrode (lead-round lead) 2 adjoining to the electrode 1, and an extremely small projection (c) is provided to a lower electrode 3 right below the end parts of the projections (a) and (b). The interval between the end parts of the projections (a) and (b) is narrower than the minimum interval of electrode patterns, so even if static electricity is generated in, for example, a process where the oriented film is oriented, small discharge is caused between the projections (a) and (b) to eliminate charges, so that neither the electrode patterns nor the oriented film is damaged. Consequently, deterioration in the display quality of the element due to electrostatic discharging is precluded.

Description

【発明の詳細な説明】 〔産業上の利用分野〕 本発明は、製造工程、とくに相対向する基板内面に設け
た配向膜にラビング法によって配向処理を施す工程で、
電極パターンに静電気が生じ、その結果、電極パターン
間に放電が生ずるに至っても、配向膜を月傷による表示
品質の実質的低下が生じないようにした液晶表示素子に
関する。[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a manufacturing process, particularly a process in which alignment films provided on the inner surfaces of opposing substrates are subjected to an alignment treatment by a rubbing method.
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display element in which the alignment film is prevented from substantially deteriorating display quality due to moon scratches even if static electricity is generated in the electrode patterns and, as a result, discharge occurs between the electrode patterns.

〔従来の技術〕[Conventional technology]

液晶表示素子の液晶と接触するガラス基板内面には配向
膜を設け、最も一般的な場合、液晶分子が配向膜と接触
する界面で、液晶分子配列方向が所望の特定方向となる
ように、ラビング法によって配向膜に配向処理を施す、
このラビング法配向処理工程で、静電気が発生し、電極
パターンには静電荷が蓄積され、電極パターン間に高い
電位差が生ずる場合がある。この高い電位差により電極
パターン間に放電が生ずると、電極パターンや配向膜が
損傷され、完成後の液晶表示素子の表示に黒点などの欠
陥が生ずる。An alignment film is provided on the inner surface of the glass substrate that comes into contact with the liquid crystal of a liquid crystal display element, and in the most common case, rubbing is performed at the interface where the liquid crystal molecules contact the alignment film so that the liquid crystal molecules are aligned in a desired specific direction. Applying alignment treatment to the alignment film by the method,
In this rubbing method alignment process, static electricity is generated and accumulated in the electrode patterns, and a high potential difference may occur between the electrode patterns. When discharge occurs between the electrode patterns due to this high potential difference, the electrode patterns and the alignment film are damaged, and defects such as black dots occur in the display of the completed liquid crystal display element.

従来から、この静電気の放電現象による表示への悪影響
を防止する手段が検討され、例えば特開昭６０−２１８
６２５号公報には、同一基板上に形成された別々の電極
パターン間に静電気によって高い電位差が生じ、放電す
るに至っても、それが表示品質に悪影客を及ぼさないよ
うにする方法が開示されている。しかし、上下基板それ
ぞれの電極パターンに蓄積されていた静電荷が、上下基
板を狭い間隔を隔てて相対向する所定相対位置に配置し
組み立てるときまで残留保持され、その結果、上下電極
パターン間に発生する放電に対しての対策は考慮されて
いなかった。Conventionally, means to prevent the adverse effects on display due to this electrostatic discharge phenomenon have been studied, and for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 60-218
Publication No. 625 discloses a method for preventing a high potential difference caused by static electricity between different electrode patterns formed on the same substrate and causing a discharge from affecting display quality. ing. However, the static charge accumulated in the electrode patterns of the upper and lower substrates remains until the upper and lower substrates are placed in a predetermined relative position facing each other with a narrow gap and assembled, and as a result, the static charge is generated between the upper and lower electrode patterns. No consideration was given to countermeasures against electrical discharges.

〔発明が解決しようとする問題点〕[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

本発明は、上記のような上下基板上の電極パターン間の
放電を含め、液晶表示素子製造工程で液晶注入以前に生
ずる静電放電によって、完成後の液晶表示素子の表示品
質が低下しないようにした液晶表示素子を提供すること
を目的とする。The present invention prevents the display quality of a completed liquid crystal display element from deteriorating due to electrostatic discharge that occurs before liquid crystal injection in the liquid crystal display element manufacturing process, including the discharge between the electrode patterns on the upper and lower substrates as described above. The object of the present invention is to provide a liquid crystal display element that has the following characteristics.

〔問題点を解決するための手段〕[Means for solving problems]

上記問題点を解決するために本発明においては、上下ガ
ラス基板の相対向する内面に形成した電極パターンの、
狭い間隙を形成している個所に、それぞれの電極パター
ンから突出した微小な突起パターンを設け、各突起の端
部間では間隙が一層小さくなるようにした。In order to solve the above problems, in the present invention, the electrode patterns formed on the opposing inner surfaces of the upper and lower glass substrates,
A pattern of minute protrusions protruding from each electrode pattern was provided at a location where a narrow gap was formed, so that the gap became even smaller between the ends of each protrusion.

〔作用〕[Effect]

ガラス基板面上に形成した電極面の上、又はガラス基板
面の上に直接形成した配向膜に、ラビング法によって配
向処理を施す工程で静電気が発生し、電極間に高い電位
差が生じて、放電防止困難であるから、本発明では放電
が生じてもそれによる損傷を極力小さく抑え込むことに
した。そのため、集中した強い電界を生じ易い微小突起
を電極パターンから突出させ、大量の静電荷が蓄慣して
大きな放電に発展する前の、比較的小量の電荷しか生じ
ていない段階で、上記微小突起の端部間で容易に小さな
放電が生じるようにして電荷を消°滅させてしまい、ま
た放電に際して電極パターンや配向膜が損傷したとして
も、その面積が小さく、かつ其の位置を適切に選定して
実際の表示には影響しないようにした。つまり電極パタ
ーンから突出させた微小突起に避雷針的作用を行わせる
のである。Static electricity is generated during the process of aligning the electrode surface formed on the glass substrate surface or the alignment film formed directly on the glass substrate surface using a rubbing method, creating a high potential difference between the electrodes and causing discharge. Since this is difficult to prevent, the present invention is designed to minimize damage caused by discharge even if it occurs. Therefore, by protruding from the electrode pattern the micro protrusions that tend to generate a concentrated and strong electric field, and before a large amount of static charge accumulates and develops into a large discharge, at a stage where only a relatively small amount of charge is generated, the micro protrusions are A small discharge is easily generated between the ends of the protrusions to dissipate the charge, and even if the electrode pattern or alignment film is damaged during the discharge, the area of the damage is small and the position is properly placed. selected so that it does not affect the actual display. In other words, the microprotrusions protruding from the electrode pattern function like lightning rods.

〔実施例〕〔Example〕

第１図（ａ）は本発明一実施例の要部拡大平面図、同図
（ｂ）は同一部分のＡ−Ａ断面図で、図中、１は上板電
極、２は１に隣接する上坂電極（本実施例においては上
板基板の周縁に沿って配置された引回しリード）、３は
下板電極で、ａは上板電極１に付けた微小突起、ｂは上
板電極２に付けた微小突起、Ｃは下板電極３に付けた微
小突起である。この図の中で、破線円内が最も静電気の
放電が生じやすい個所であるから、そこの部分の電極に
微小突起を付けたのである。従来から、同一基板上で隣
接する別々のパターンに、微小突起ａ、ｂのような突起
を付けることは行われていたが、実際には、このような
対策だけでは、上下基板を狭い間隔（近年次第に狭くす
る傾向があり数μｍ程度の場合もある）を隔てた所定の
相対位置に配置して液晶セルに組み立てる工程で静電放
電が発生する場合があることが判ったので、本発明では
上下基板双方の電極パターンに微小突起を設けることと
し、第１図に示すように、ａ、ｂのほかに、下板電極に
も微小突起Ｃなどを付けることとした。なお図示の如く
、上板電極のそれぞれ別の電極パターンから突出させた
微小突起ａ、ｂの端部間の間隙は、電極パターン本体同
士の最小間隙よりも狭いから、電極パターン間の電位差
が比較的小さいときでも容易に放電する。また同様に、
下板電極の電極パターンに付けた微小突起Ｃの端部は、
上板電極の電極パターンに付けた微小突起ａ、ｂの端部
の直下最短距離の位置にあるので、突起という電界が集
中し易い形状の効果もあって、電極パターンの本体同士
の間では放電に至らない程度の電位差（従って放電によ
る損傷も小さい）でも放電してしまう。FIG. 1(a) is an enlarged plan view of a main part of an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1(b) is a sectional view taken along line A-A of the same part. In the figure, 1 is an upper plate electrode, and 2 is adjacent to 1. The upper slope electrode (in this example, the routing lead arranged along the periphery of the upper substrate), 3 is the lower electrode, a is the microprotrusion attached to the upper electrode 1, and b is the upper electrode 2. The attached microprotrusion C is a microprotrusion attached to the lower plate electrode 3. In this figure, the area within the broken line circle is where electrostatic discharge is most likely to occur, so we added microprotrusions to the electrode in that area. Conventionally, protrusions such as minute protrusions a and b have been attached to separate patterns adjacent to each other on the same substrate, but in reality, such measures alone do not allow for narrow spacing between the upper and lower substrates ( In recent years, it has been found that electrostatic discharge may occur in the process of assembling liquid crystal cells by arranging them at predetermined relative positions separated by a distance of several micrometers (which has tended to become narrower in recent years, and may be on the order of several μm). It was decided to provide microprotrusions on the electrode patterns of both the upper and lower substrates, and as shown in FIG. 1, in addition to a and b, microprotrusions C and the like were also provided on the lower plate electrode. As shown in the figure, the gap between the ends of the microprotrusions a and b projected from the different electrode patterns of the upper plate electrode is narrower than the minimum gap between the electrode pattern bodies, so the potential difference between the electrode patterns can be compared. Easily discharges even when the target is small. Similarly,
The end of the microprotrusion C attached to the electrode pattern of the lower plate electrode is
Since it is located at the shortest distance directly below the ends of the micro protrusions a and b attached to the electrode pattern of the upper plate electrode, the protrusions have a shape that makes it easy for the electric field to concentrate, so that no discharge occurs between the main bodies of the electrode pattern. Even if the potential difference is small (therefore, the damage caused by the discharge is small), the discharge will occur.

〔発明の効果〕〔Effect of the invention〕

以上説明したように本発明によれば、単に電極パターン
形成用マスクに微小突起部分を付加するだけの簡単な手
段で、製造工程中に生ずる静電放電によるｔｉ傷が、表
示品質に実質的な悪影響を及ぼさないようにすることが
出来る。As explained above, according to the present invention, by simply adding minute protrusions to the electrode pattern forming mask, Ti scratches caused by electrostatic discharge that occur during the manufacturing process can be effectively reduced to display quality. You can prevent it from having any negative effects.

【図面の簡単な説明】 第１図（ａ）は本発明一実施例の要部拡大平面図、第１
図（ｂ）は同一部分のＡ−Ａ断面図である。 １−・上板電極、　２−・別の上板電極、　３−・−下
坂電極、　ａ、ｂＳｃ−本発明に係る微小突起。[BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS] FIG. 1(a) is an enlarged plan view of essential parts of an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure (b) is an AA sectional view of the same part. 1--upper plate electrode, 2--another upper plate electrode, 3--lower slope electrode, a, bSc--microprotrusion according to the present invention.

Claims (1)

【特許請求の範囲】[Claims] １、上下ガラス基板の相対向する内面に形成した電極パ
ターンの、狭い間隙を形成している個所に、それぞれの
電極パターンから突出した微小な突起パターンを設け、
各突起の端部間では間隙が一層小さくなるようにしたこ
とを特徴とする液晶表示素子。1. A minute protrusion pattern protruding from each electrode pattern is provided at a location where a narrow gap is formed between the electrode patterns formed on the opposing inner surfaces of the upper and lower glass substrates,
A liquid crystal display element characterized in that a gap is made smaller between the ends of each projection.