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Cell Process

LCD production process can be described as follows:
(1) the orientation layer on the lower and upper plate is formed;
(2) the layer is properly positioned so that the liquid crystal can properly align;
(3) the spacer is dispensed, the seal is printed, and the two plates are assembled;
(4) the liquid crystal is injected into the cell through the capillary effect; and
(5) the injection hole is sealed.


1. Printing the Orientation Layer
The orientation layer is evenly spread on the pixel area of the upper and lower plate. The polyimide is spread on the drum thinly and evenly and is coated on the rubber plate, which has been patterned in advance. In turn, the polyimide is printed on the upper color filter or the lower TFT-array plate. After printing, the polyimide is hardened through the process of annealing.

2. Rubbing

Rubbing is the process that forms the straight groove on the hardened polyimide in a fixed direction in order to make the liquid crystal orient in a fixed direction. The straight groove can be formed by rubbing the panel in a certain direction with the rubbing velvet attached to the rotating drum.

3. Dispensing Spacers

The spacers are dispensed evenly in order to secure the fixed cell gap when assembling the upper and lower plate. After the spacers are mixed in the liquid with the proper concentration, they are then transported to the spray nozzle through the pump, and subsequently sprayed on the surface of the plate from the nozzle with high pressure. Heating dries the liquid, and the density of the spacer is adjusted between 100 ea/ and 200 ea/ according to the display size. The spacer shape is like a ball with a diameter size between 4 and 5 which determines the cell gap between the plates.

4. Injecting the Liquid Crystal

The liquid crystal is injected between the upper and lower plate using capillary action and pressure differences after the upper and lower plate are assembled. The process system consists of a vacuum pump, vacuum chamber, an up/down moving device, a jig, which contains the liquid crystal, and, an N system. At first, the internal cell vacuum level is maintained at about 10-3 Torr from the original vacuum state. The liquid crystal is then pulled into the cell by the capillary effect. When the cell is filled with liquid crystal up to about 80 percent , N??s then purged into the vacuum chamber slowly and the liquid crystal fills the remaining space in the cell as a result of the difference in pressure from inside and outside the cell.