Polarized-light irradiation device and method for manufacturing liquid crystal display device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11269220-B2
Application number	US-201716309393-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 7, 2017
Priority date	Jun 14, 2016
Publication date	Mar 8, 2022
Grant date	Mar 8, 2022

Abstract

The present invention provides a polarized light irradiation device capable of setting an alignment azimuth angle θ of liquid crystal molecules to be a desired angle even when the incident angle of polarized light on a substrate is not 0° in irradiation of a photo alignment film with polarized light, and a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device by using the polarized light irradiation device. The polarized light irradiation device is used in alignment treatment of a photo alignment film provided on a substrate, the device including: a stage including a placement surface on which the substrate is placed; and a polarized light irradiation unit configured to irradiate the placement surface with polarized light through a polarizer in a direction tilted relative to the normal of the placement surface, wherein a polarization azimuth angle α, which is an angle of the polarization axis of the polarizer when the polarization axis of the polarizer is projected onto the placement surface, satisfies 30°<α<45°, 45°<α<60°, −60°<α<−45°, or −45°<α<−30°, as viewed in an irradiation axis direction of the polarized light with the longitudinal direction of the substrate taken to be 0°.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device, the method comprising:
a photo alignment film formation process of providing a photo alignment film on a surface of at least one substrate selected from a first substrate and a second substrate; and
a plurality of polarized light irradiation processes of irradiating the photo alignment film with polarized light,
wherein the plurality of polarized light irradiation processes irradiate the photo alignment film with polarized light through a polarizer in a conveying direction tilted relative to the normal of the surface while conveying the at least one substrate,
a polarization azimuth angle α, which is an angle of a polarization axis of the polarizer when the polarization axis of the polarizer is projected onto the at least one substrate, satisfies 30°<α<45°, 45°<α<60°, −60°<α<−45°, or −45°<α<−30°, as viewed in an irradiation axis direction of the polarized light with a longitudinal direction of the at least one substrate is 0°,
wherein at least one of a and a conveyance direction of the at least one substrate is different between at least two of the plurality of polarized light irradiation processes.

2. The method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device according to claim 1 , wherein α is different between at least two of the plurality of polarized light irradiation processes.

3. The method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device according to claim 1 , wherein the conveyance direction of the substrate is different between at least two of the plurality of polarized light irradiation processes.

Assignees

• Sharp Kk

Inventors

• Fujiwara Seiji
• Sonoda Takashi
• Tomimaru Nobufumi
• Watanabe Hitoshi
• Terashita Shinichi
• Shimoshikiryoh Fumikazu

Classifications

• G02B5/3033 Primary

  in the form of a thin sheet or foil, e.g. Polaroid · CPC title

• G02B27/286

  for controlling or changing the state of polarisation, e.g. transforming one polarisation state into another (G02B5/3083 takes precedence; light guide coupling means utilising polarising elements G02B6/34) · CPC title

• G02B5/3025

  Polarisers, i.e. arrangements capable of producing a definite output polarisation state from an unpolarised input state (G02B5/3008, G02B5/3016 take precedence) · CPC title

• G02F1/133788 Primary

  by light irradiation, e.g. linearly polarised light photo-polymerisation · CPC title

• G02F1/1337

  Surface-induced orientation of the liquid crystal molecules, e.g. by alignment layers · CPC title