Liquid crystal box thickness measuring device and liquid crystal box thickness measuring system

Abstract

The utility model relates to a liquid crystal box thickness measuring device and a liquid crystal box thickness measuring system.The device comprises a testing platform, a testing white board, a light source, an optical fiber probe and a supporting assembly, the testing white board and the light source are both horizontally arranged on the testing platform, and the testing white board is used for bearing an empty box to be tested; the light source is used for generating incident light with a continuous spectrum; the optical fiber probe and the bearing surface of the test whiteboard are vertically and oppositely arranged, a gap is reserved between the optical fiber probe and the bearing surface, and one end, far away from the test whiteboard, of the optical fiber probe is connected with a light source through a first optical fiber patch cord and is connected with an external spectrum analysis piece through a second optical fiber patch cord; the spectral analysis piece determines the thickness of the empty box to be measured according to the spectral graphic information of the reflected light; the supporting assembly is connected with the optical fiber probe. The device can be adapted to different liquid crystal empty boxes to be measured, and can avoid the problem of large error of extreme points caused by the limitation of chromatic aberration and luminous flux in a multi-beam interference method, thereby improving the accuracy and reliability of box thickness calculation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of liquid crystal display equipment manufacturing technology, and in particular to a liquid crystal cell thickness measuring device and a liquid crystal cell thickness measuring system. Background Technology

[0002] Spatial light modulators can modulate the amplitude, phase, and polarization of incident light in real time according to input control signals. They are core components of real-time optical information processing, holographic dynamic displays, and optical computing systems. Reflective spatial light modulators based on liquid crystal on silicon (LCD) technology are widely used due to their high integration and ease of achieving high resolution. The cell thickness of the LCD cell affects photoelectric properties and response speed; therefore, accurate measurement of the LCD cell thickness is necessary.

[0003] In related technologies, transmission-type cell thickness testing methods and multi-beam interferometry are commonly used. However, the transmission-type method can only be used for testing glass empty cells and is difficult to apply to wafer empty cells composed of glass-silicon substrates. The multi-beam interferometry method requires the use of polychromatic beams, and due to limitations in color difference and light flux, the error in obtaining the extreme points of the spectrum is relatively large, which affects the accuracy of cell thickness calculation. Utility Model Content

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to provide a liquid crystal cell thickness measuring device and a liquid crystal cell thickness measuring system to address the problem of low accuracy in measuring the cell thickness of liquid crystal cells in existing technologies.

[0005] In a first aspect, this application provides a liquid crystal cell thickness measuring device, suitable for measuring the thickness of empty liquid crystal cells, the liquid crystal cell thickness measuring device comprising:

[0006] Test platform;

[0007] The test whiteboard is set horizontally on the test platform, and the side of the test whiteboard facing away from the test platform is used to support the empty test box.

[0008] A light source, set on the test platform, is used to generate incident light with a continuous spectrum;

[0009] The fiber optic probe is set perpendicular to the receiving surface of the test whiteboard. A gap is reserved between the fiber optic probe and the test whiteboard. The end of the fiber optic probe away from the test whiteboard is connected to the light source through the first fiber optic jumper. The end of the fiber optic probe away from the test whiteboard is also connected to an external spectral analyzer through the second fiber optic jumper, so that the spectral analyzer can obtain the spectral pattern information of the reflected light generated by the incident light and determine the thickness of the empty cell to be tested.

[0010] The support assembly, connected to the fiber optic probe, is used to hold the fiber optic probe on the test platform.

[0011] In one embodiment, the support component includes:

[0012] The first connecting rod is perpendicularly connected at one end to the side of the test platform located on the test whiteboard;

[0013] The second connecting rod is perpendicularly connected to the first connecting rod at one end, and detachably connected to the fiber optic probe at the other end.

[0014] In one embodiment, the second connecting rod has a through hole for the fiber optic probe to pass through, and the side wall of the second connecting rod also has a through hole communicating with the through hole. The second connecting rod is provided with a fixing member for fixing one end of the fiber optic probe that passes through the through hole to the second connecting rod.

[0015] In one embodiment, the through hole is a screw hole, and the fastener is a clamping bolt.

[0016] In one embodiment, an elastic pressure relief element is provided at one end of the bolt that extends into the bolt hole.

[0017] In one embodiment, the vertical distance between the end of the fiber optic probe closest to the test whiteboard and the empty box to be tested ranges from 2 to 3 mm.

[0018] In one embodiment, the length of the fiber optic probe ranges from 7 to 8 cm.

[0019] In one embodiment, when the empty cell under test is tested as a silicon-based sample, the test whiteboard is a specular whiteboard; when the empty cell under test is tested as a glass sample, the test whiteboard is a diffuse whiteboard.

[0020] Secondly, this application provides a liquid crystal cell thickness measurement system, including any of the liquid crystal cell thickness measurement devices provided in the first aspect. The system further includes a spectral analysis device, which is used to acquire spectral pattern information of reflected light generated by incident light and determine the thickness of the empty cell to be measured based on the spectral pattern information of the reflected light.

[0021] In one embodiment, the spectral analyzer includes:

[0022] The spectrometer is connected to the end of the second fiber optic patch cord furthest from the fiber optic probe.

[0023] The mobile terminal is connected to the output of the spectrometer. The mobile terminal is used to acquire the spectral image information of the reflected light and determine the thickness of the empty cell to be tested based on the spectral image information of the reflected light.

[0024] The aforementioned liquid crystal cell thickness measurement device includes a test platform, a test whiteboard, a light source, a fiber optic probe, and a support assembly. The test whiteboard is horizontally set on the test platform, with the side of the test whiteboard facing away from the test platform used to support the empty cell to be measured. The light source is set on the test platform and is used to generate incident light with a continuous spectrum. The fiber optic probe is set perpendicularly to the receiving surface of the test whiteboard, with a gap reserved between the fiber optic probe and the test whiteboard. The end of the fiber optic probe away from the test whiteboard is connected to the light source through a first fiber optic jumper, and the end of the fiber optic probe away from the test whiteboard is also connected to an external spectral analyzer through a second fiber optic jumper, so that the spectral analyzer can obtain the spectral pattern information of the reflected light generated by the incident light and determine the thickness of the empty cell to be measured. The support assembly is connected to the fiber optic probe and is used to limit the fiber optic probe on the test platform. This application establishes a testing platform to ensure that the positions of each component are fixed during the measurement process, reducing the impact of external vibrations or displacement on the measurement results. The test whiteboard is placed on the platform, providing a flat and standard receiving surface for the empty cell under test, thus ensuring the horizontality and stability of the empty cell. The fiber optic probe is positioned perpendicularly to the receiving surface of the test whiteboard, with a gap between them, which helps ensure that the incident light can perpendicularly illuminate the surface of the empty cell under test, reducing the scattering and loss of reflected light and providing more accurate spectral information for spectral analysis, thereby improving the accuracy of the thickness measurement results of the empty cell under test. Furthermore, the support components ensure that the fiber optic probe remains stably perpendicular to the test whiteboard, further contributing to the accuracy of the test results. In other words, the liquid crystal cell thickness measurement device of this application can overcome the limitation of the transmission-type cell thickness testing method, which can only test glass empty cells, and can avoid the problem of large extreme point errors caused by color difference and limited light flux in the multi-beam interferometry method, thereby improving the accuracy and reliability of cell thickness calculation. Attached Figure Description

[0025] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the conventional technology, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the conventional technology will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0026] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the liquid crystal cell thickness measuring device in some embodiments of this application;

[0027] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the liquid crystal cell thickness measurement system in some embodiments of this application;

[0028] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the principle of measuring the thickness of a liquid crystal cell using optical interferometry in some embodiments of this application;

[0029] Figure 4 This is a spectral diagram illustrating the reflected beam received by the spectrometer in one embodiment of this application.

[0030] Explanation of icon numbers:

[0031] 100. Test platform; 200. Test whiteboard; 300. Fiber optic probe; 400. Light source; 410. First fiber optic patch cord; 420. Second fiber optic patch cord; 500. Support assembly; 510. First connecting rod; 520. Second connecting rod; 600. Spectroscopic analysis component; 610. Spectroscopic analyzer; 620. Mobile terminal; 700. Empty test box. Detailed Implementation

[0032] To make the above-mentioned objectives, features, and advantages of this application more apparent and understandable, the specific embodiments of this application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Many specific details are set forth in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of this application. However, this application can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar modifications without departing from the spirit of this application. Therefore, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0033] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential", etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

[0034] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this application, "multiple" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0035] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "joining," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components, unless otherwise expressly limited. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application according to the specific circumstances.

[0036] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can mean that the first feature is in direct contact with the second feature, or that the first feature is in indirect contact with the second feature through an intermediate medium. Furthermore, "above," "on top of," and "over" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0037] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed to" or "set on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or there may be an intervening element. When an element is considered to be "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or there may be an intervening element. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," and similar expressions used herein are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only possible implementation.

[0038] Spatial light modulators can load information into one-dimensional or two-dimensional light fields and modulate the amplitude, phase, and polarization of incident light in real time according to input control signals. They are core components of real-time optical information processing, holographic dynamic displays, and optical computing systems. Reflective spatial light modulators based on liquid crystal on silicon (LCD) technology are widely used due to their high integration and ease of achieving high resolution. The cell thickness of the LCD cell affects its photoelectric properties and response speed; therefore, accurate measurement of the LCD cell thickness is necessary. Specifically, the structure of an LCD cell is a silicon chip-liquid crystal-glass. The thickness of the liquid crystal layer is determined by the size of the spacers between the two substrates. The distance of the air gap supported by the spacers is the cell thickness. Due to the birefringence effect of liquid crystals, different cell thicknesses, i.e., different liquid crystal layer thicknesses, will exhibit changes in the LCD cell's photoelectric properties, background color, and response speed.

[0039] In related technologies, transmission-type cell thickness testing methods and multi-beam interferometry are commonly used. However, the transmission-type method can only be used for testing glass empty cells and is difficult to apply to wafer empty cells composed of glass-silicon substrates. The multi-beam interferometry method requires the use of polychromatic beams, and due to limitations in color difference and light flux, the error in obtaining the extreme points of the spectrum is relatively large, which affects the accuracy of cell thickness calculation.

[0040] To address the issue of low accuracy in measuring the cell thickness of liquid crystal cells in related technologies, referencing Figure 1 and Figure 2 In a first aspect, one embodiment of this application provides a liquid crystal cell thickness measuring device, including a test platform 100, a test white plate 200, a light source 400, an optical fiber probe 300, and a support assembly 500. The test white plate 200 is horizontally disposed on the test platform 100, and the side of the test white plate 200 facing away from the test platform 100 is used to support the empty cell 700 to be tested. The light source 400 is disposed on the test platform 100 and is used to generate incident light with a continuous spectrum. The optical fiber probe 300 is disposed perpendicularly to the receiving surface of the test white plate 200. A gap is reserved between the test whiteboards 200. The end of the fiber optic probe 300 away from the test whiteboard 200 is connected to the light source 400 through the first fiber optic patch cord 410, and the end of the fiber optic probe 300 away from the test whiteboard 200 is also connected to the external spectral analyzer 600 through the second fiber optic patch cord 420, so that the spectral analyzer 600 can obtain the spectral graphic information of the reflected light generated by the incident light and determine the thickness of the empty box 700 to be tested. The support component 500 is connected to the fiber optic probe 300 and is used to limit the fiber optic probe 300 on the test platform 100.

[0041] The test platform 100 is placed horizontally, and the test whiteboard 200 is fixed on the upper surface of the test platform 100. The cross-section of the test whiteboard 200 can be square or circular. The test platform 100 is relatively large, with the surface area of ​​the side of the test platform 100 located on the side of the test whiteboard 200 being larger than the surface area of ​​the side of the test whiteboard 200 opposite to the test platform 100. A groove of the same volume as the test whiteboard 200 is pre-reserved on the test platform 100, with space on both sides for fingers to insert, allowing testers to change the type of test whiteboard 200 according to testing needs. Furthermore, when testing an empty box 700 with a test area larger than that of the test whiteboard 200, testers can directly embed and fix the test whiteboard 200 into the groove, facilitating quick leveling when handling larger empty boxes 700. Setting up the test platform 100 ensures that the positions of each component are fixed during the measurement process, reducing the impact of external vibration or displacement on the measurement results. Setting the test whiteboard 200 on the test platform 100 provides a flat and standard receiving surface for the empty box 700 to be tested, thereby ensuring the levelness and stability of the empty box 700 to be tested.

[0042] The light source 400 is a halogen tungsten lamp light source. Halogen tungsten lamp light sources can produce a continuous spectrum, and its spectral range can usually cover a wide band from near ultraviolet to near infrared. In addition, the continuous spectrum emitted by the halogen tungsten lamp is relatively uniformly distributed within its effective band, without obvious spectral peaks or valleys. This allows light of various wavelengths to participate in the reflection and interference processes relatively stably during the measurement process, providing more reliable and smoother spectral data for subsequent spectral analysis, which helps to improve the accuracy and repeatability of the measurement.

[0043] By positioning the fiber optic probe 300 perpendicularly to the receiving surface of the test whiteboard 200, with a gap between them, it helps ensure that the incident light can perpendicularly illuminate the surface of the empty cell 700 under test, reducing the scattering and loss of reflected light. This provides more accurate spectral information of the reflected light, thereby improving the accuracy of the thickness measurement results of the empty cell 700 under test. The support assembly 500 ensures that the fiber optic probe 300 remains stably perpendicular to the test whiteboard 200, thus contributing to the accuracy of the test results.

[0044] Specifically, during testing, the empty box 700 to be tested is placed directly on the test whiteboard 200. If the size of the empty box 700 to be tested is less than or equal to the area of ​​the receiving surface (the side of the empty box 700 to be tested) of the test whiteboard 200, the light source 400 is directly controlled to generate incident light and vertically illuminate the empty box 700 to be tested. The light is then emitted through the second fiber optic patch cord 420 to the spectral analyzer 600. The spectral analyzer 600 is used to obtain spectral data for subsequent box thickness calculation. If the size of the empty box 700 to be tested is greater than the area of ​​the receiving surface of the test whiteboard 200, it is necessary to ensure that the test point is in complete contact with the test whiteboard 200 and that the levels are consistent before controlling the light source 400 to generate incident light vertically illuminating the empty box 700 to be tested, and then continuing the subsequent measurement operation.

[0045] The liquid crystal cell thickness measuring device in this embodiment utilizes incident and reflected light with continuous spectra, along with a spectral analyzer 600, to measure cell thickness. It is not limited to empty glass cells, overcoming the limitation of transmission-based cell thickness testing methods that can only test empty glass cells. By setting the fiber optic probe 300 perpendicularly to the test whiteboard 200 with a pre-existing gap, the incident light can be perpendicularly incident on the surface of the empty cell 700 under test. The reflected light can return along its original path, reducing light loss during propagation and providing the spectral analyzer 600 with more accurate reflected light spectral information. This avoids the problem of large extreme point errors caused by color difference and limited light flux in multi-beam interferometry, thereby improving the accuracy and reliability of cell thickness calculation.

[0046] Reference Figure 1 In some embodiments, the support assembly 500 includes a first connecting rod 510 and a second connecting rod 520. One end of the first connecting rod 510 is perpendicularly connected to one side of the test platform 100 located on the test whiteboard 200. One end of the second connecting rod 520 is perpendicularly connected to the first connecting rod 510, and the other end of the second connecting rod 520 is detachably connected to the fiber optic probe 300.

[0047] The vertical connection of the first connecting rod 510 and the second connecting rod 520, and the vertical connection of the first connecting rod 510 to the test platform 100, helps to ensure that the fiber optic probe 300 is perpendicular to the empty box 700 to be tested on the test whiteboard 200.

[0048] Specifically, the test whiteboard 200, the first connecting rod 510, and the second connecting rod 520 can be pre-fixed on the test platform 100 so that the testing personnel can perform the test at any time.

[0049] Reference Figure 1In some embodiments, the second connecting rod 520 is provided with a through hole for the fiber optic probe 300 to pass through, and the side wall of the second connecting rod 520 is also provided with a through hole communicating with the through hole. The second connecting rod 520 is provided with a fixing member for fixing one end of the fiber optic probe 300 passing through the through hole to the second connecting rod 520.

[0050] The fiber optic probe 300 is detachably connected to the second connecting rod 520, which allows the testing personnel to adjust the distance between the fiber optic probe 300 and the empty box 700 to be tested according to the testing requirements, or to calibrate the relative positional relationship between the fiber optic probe 300 and the test whiteboard 200 after long-term use.

[0051] Specifically, when adjusting or calibrating the fiber optic probe 300, the testing personnel can pass the fiber optic probe 300 through the perforation and then fix the fiber optic probe 300 with the fixing component.

[0052] In some embodiments, the through hole is a screw hole, and the fastener is a clamping bolt.

[0053] The extension direction of the through hole is perpendicular to the extension direction of the perforation, and the tightening bolt is threadedly connected to the wall of the through hole.

[0054] Specifically, after passing the fiber optic probe 300 through the perforation for a certain distance, tighten the clamping bolt until it is firmly against the fiber optic probe 300; when it is necessary to remove or replace the fiber optic probe 300, simply tighten the clamping bolt in the opposite direction until it is separated from the fiber optic probe 300.

[0055] In this embodiment, the through hole is set as a screw hole, and the fixing component is equipped with a clamping bolt, which facilitates the installation and removal of the fiber optic probe 300 by the testing personnel.

[0056] In some embodiments, an elastic pressure-relieving element is provided at one end of the bolt that extends into the bolt hole.

[0057] In order to ensure that the clamping bolt can tighten against the fiber optic probe 300 while reducing damage to the outer peripheral wall of the fiber optic probe 300, an elastic pressure relief element is provided at the end of the clamping bolt that extends into the screw hole in this embodiment.

[0058] Specifically, the elastic pressure relief component in this embodiment can be a rubber pad or a silicone pad. Both rubber pads and silicone pads have good elastic recovery force, which can increase the contact area between the tightening bolt and the outer peripheral wall of the fiber optic probe 300, reduce the pressure, and prevent the tightening bolt from scratching the outer peripheral wall of the fiber optic probe 300 during the tightening process.

[0059] Reference Figure 1 In some embodiments, the vertical distance between the end of the fiber optic probe 300 near the test whiteboard 200 and the empty box 700 to be tested ranges from 2 to 3 mm.

[0060] If the vertical distance between the fiber optic probe 300 and the empty box 700 under test is too close, the light may be too concentrated, resulting in a limited range for collecting reflected light. The reflected light in some areas cannot be received by the probe, affecting the integrity of the spectral information. If the distance is too far, the light will diverge too much, the light intensity will decrease rapidly, and the intensity of the reflected light will weaken, which is not conducive to the spectral analyzer 600 accurately acquiring the spectral graphic information of the reflected light.

[0061] Specifically, after multiple experiments, it was found that when the vertical distance between the end of the fiber optic probe 300 near the test whiteboard 200 and the empty box 700 under test is 2–3 mm, the incident light emitted from the fiber optic probe 300 can illuminate the test whiteboard 200 and the surface of the empty box 700 placed on it at a suitable divergence angle. At this distance, the light can cover the measurement area of ​​the empty box 700 relatively evenly, allowing the reflected light to be effectively collected by the fiber optic probe 300. In addition, the 2–3 mm distance creates a relatively enclosed optical space between the fiber optic probe 300 and the empty box 700 under test, making it difficult for external light to enter this area. It also prevents light reflected or scattered by other components inside the device from entering the fiber optic probe 300, thereby improving the signal-to-noise ratio of the measurement and ensuring the quality of the spectral pattern.

[0062] Reference Figure 1 In some embodiments, the length of the fiber optic probe 300 ranges from 7 to 8 cm.

[0063] Specifically, extensive testing revealed that a fiber optic probe 300 length of 7–8 cm effectively reduces signal loss during transmission while ensuring efficient light transmission. As the length of the fiber optic cable increases, losses due to scattering and absorption gradually increase. A length of 7–8 cm allows the continuous-spectrum incident light emitted from the light source 400 to reach the surface of the test cell 700 with high efficiency, while still meeting the structural layout requirements of the device. This ensures sufficient light intensity for reflection and subsequent spectral analysis, thereby improving measurement accuracy and sensitivity.

[0064] In some embodiments, when the empty test cell 700 is tested as a silicon-based sample, the test whiteboard 200 is a specular whiteboard; when the empty test cell 700 is tested as a glass sample, the test whiteboard 200 is a diffuse whiteboard.

[0065] The basic structure of a silicon-based liquid crystal device is a silicon chip-liquid crystal-glass. In actual production and application scenarios, the emphasis when testing the empty cell under test (700) varies depending on the design and requirements. For example, when the focus is on testing the characteristics of the silicon chip, or when the silicon chip is the main component carrying the liquid crystal and related functions, the empty cell under test (700) can be considered a silicon-based sample. However, when the main focus is on the glass substrate, with the glass material properties as the primary consideration, such as studying the effect of glass on light transmittance, the empty cell under test (700) can be considered a glass sample.

[0066] Specifically, due to the relatively smooth surface of silicon-based materials, they possess certain reflective properties. Using a specularly reflective whiteboard can match the reflective characteristics of the silicon-based sample, allowing light emitted from the light source 400 and reflected by the silicon-based sample to be reflected in a more regular manner, minimizing light scattering and loss. This ensures that more reflected light can enter the fiber optic probe 300 and be received by the spectrometer, thereby obtaining clearer and more accurate spectral data, which is beneficial for subsequent precise calculation of the cell thickness.

[0067] Glass samples typically have good light transmittance, and light shining on the glass may be refracted and scattered. A diffuse reflection whiteboard can evenly scatter the light, making the light shining on the glass sample more uniform. This avoids the situation where local reflection is too strong or too weak due to concentrated light, thus making the reflection of the entire glass sample surface more consistent and able to more comprehensively and accurately reflect the reflection spectrum information of the glass sample.

[0068] The liquid crystal cell thickness measuring device in this application utilizes incident and reflected light with continuous spectra, along with a spectrometer, to measure cell thickness. It is not limited to empty glass cells, overcoming the limitation of transmission-based cell thickness testing methods that can only test empty glass cells. By setting the fiber optic probe 300 perpendicularly to the test whiteboard 200 with a certain gap, the incident light can be perpendicularly incident on the surface of the empty cell 700 under test. The reflected light can return along its original path, reducing light loss during propagation and providing more accurate spectral information for the spectrometer 600. This avoids the problem of large extreme point errors caused by color difference and limited luminous flux in multi-beam interferometry, thereby improving the accuracy and reliability of cell thickness calculation. Furthermore, through the cooperation of the first connecting rod 510, the second connecting rod 520, and the fixing component, the fiber optic probe 300 and the test whiteboard 200 can remain perpendicular, ensuring the reliability of the testing process and the accuracy of the test results.

[0069] Secondly, referring to Figure 2One embodiment of this application provides a liquid crystal cell thickness measurement system, including any of the liquid crystal cell thickness measurement devices provided in the first aspect. The system further includes a spectral analyzer 600, which is used to acquire spectral pattern information of reflected light generated by incident light and determine the thickness of the liquid crystal cell based on the spectral pattern information of the reflected light.

[0070] Specifically, in combination Figure 1 During testing, the empty box 700 to be tested is first placed directly on the test whiteboard 200. If the size of the empty box 700 is less than or equal to the area of ​​the test whiteboard 200, proceed directly to the next step. If the size of the empty box 700 is greater than the area of ​​the test whiteboard 200, ensure that the test point is in complete contact with the test whiteboard 200 and remains horizontal before proceeding to the next step. Then, a halogen tungsten lamp source emits light with a continuous spectrum, which is led out through the first fiber optic jumper 410 to the fiber optic probe 300. The end of the fiber optic probe 300 closest to the test whiteboard 200 maintains a vertical distance of 2-3 mm from the test whiteboard 200, and the length of the fiber optic probe 300 is 7-8 cm, ensuring that the light illuminates the surface of the empty box 700 under appropriate conditions. The incident light reaches the empty box 700... After the light reaches the surface of the test box 700, part of the light is reflected on the upper surface of the test box 700, and the other part of the light enters the interior of the test box 700 and is reflected again on the lower surface of the test box 700. The two reflected beams interfere with each other to form reflected light containing information about the thickness of the test box 700. The reflected light reaches the spectrum analyzer through the second fiber optic patch cord 420. The spectrum analyzer is connected to an external computer and will then feed back the reflected light in the form of a spectral graph to the test software installed on the computer. This spectral graph contains the intensity distribution of different wavelengths of light in the reflected light, and these distributions are closely related to the thickness of the test box 700. The spectrum analyzer 600 determines the thickness of the test box 700 based on the acquired reflected light spectral graph information using a pre-established algorithm or model.

[0071] In one embodiment, the spectral analysis device 600 includes a spectral analyzer 610 and a mobile terminal 620. The spectral analyzer 610 is connected to the end of the second fiber optic patch cord 420 away from the fiber optic probe 300. The mobile terminal 620 is connected to the output end of the spectral analyzer 610. The mobile terminal 620 is used to acquire spectral pattern information of the reflected light and determine the thickness of the liquid crystal cell based on the spectral pattern information of the reflected light. The mobile terminal 620 includes, but is not limited to, computer terminal equipment.

[0072] Specifically, the thickness of the liquid crystal cell can be calculated by analyzing the characteristics of interference fringes in the spectral pattern (such as the spacing, number, and intensity variations of the fringes), combined with optical principles and related physical formulas. As shown in the figure, Figure 3This diagram illustrates the principle of liquid crystal cell emptying measurement. Parallel light with a continuous spectrum is incident perpendicularly onto the surface of the LCOS screen. The light reflected from the LCOS chip surface and the light reflected from the inner surface of the glass substrate interfere. These two beams of reflected light with continuous spectra exhibit constructive and destructive interference at specific wavelengths. Constructive interference occurs when the phase difference is an even multiple of π; let's assume the wavelength at this point is λ. i The light intensity at this wavelength is at its maximum; destructive interference occurs when the phase difference is an odd multiple of π, assuming the wavelength at this time is λ. j The light intensity at this wavelength is at a minimum, resulting in the following formula:

[0073] 2n i d=mλ i ;

[0074] 2n j d=(m+1)λ j ;

[0075] Where, λ i and λ j n represents the wavelengths corresponding to adjacent maximum and minimum light intensity points. i and n j Let be the refractive index corresponding to adjacent maximum and minimum light intensity points, m be the interference order, and the refractive index of the intermediate air layer be 1. The formula for calculating the reflective liquid crystal cell is then obtained as follows:

[0076]

[0077] Where d is the box thickness. For example... Figure 4 As shown, after finding the adjacent maximum and minimum points of the spectral curve, the thickness of the empty cell to be tested can be calculated by substituting them into the above formula.

[0078] The liquid crystal cell thickness measurement system in this application, after being equipped with any of the liquid crystal cell thickness measurement devices provided in the first aspect, also has the beneficial effect of making up for the deficiency of the transmission cell thickness test method, which can only be used for testing empty glass cells, and avoiding the problem of large extreme point errors caused by color difference and light flux limitations in the multi-beam interferometry method, thereby improving the accuracy and reliability of cell thickness calculation.

[0079] In the description of this specification, references to terms such as "some embodiments," "other embodiments," etc., indicate that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of this application. In this specification, the illustrative descriptions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiments or examples.

[0080] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0081] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of several implementation methods of this application, and while the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the patent application. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this application, and these all fall within the protection scope of this application. Therefore, the protection scope of this patent application should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal cell thickness measuring device, suitable for measuring the thickness of empty liquid crystal cells, characterized in that, The liquid crystal cell thickness measuring device includes: Test platform; A test whiteboard is horizontally set on the test platform, and the side of the test whiteboard facing away from the test platform is used to support the empty test box. A light source is set on the test platform, the light source being used to generate incident light with a continuous spectrum; An optical fiber probe is positioned perpendicularly to the receiving surface of the test whiteboard. A gap is reserved between the optical fiber probe and the test whiteboard. The end of the optical fiber probe away from the test whiteboard is connected to the light source via a first optical fiber jumper, and the end of the optical fiber probe away from the test whiteboard is also connected to an external spectral analyzer via a second optical fiber jumper, so that the spectral analyzer can obtain the spectral pattern information of the reflected light generated by the incident light and determine the thickness of the empty cell to be tested. A support assembly is connected to the fiber optic probe, and the support assembly is used to limit the fiber optic probe on the test platform.

2. The liquid crystal cell thickness measuring device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The support components include: The first connecting rod has one end perpendicularly connected to the side of the test platform located on the test whiteboard; The second connecting rod is perpendicularly connected to the first connecting rod at one end, and detachably connected to the fiber optic probe at the other end.

3. The liquid crystal cell thickness measuring device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The second connecting rod has a through hole for the fiber optic probe to pass through, and the side wall of the second connecting rod also has a through hole communicating with the through hole. The second connecting rod is provided with a fixing member, which is used to fix one end of the fiber optic probe that passes through the through hole to the second connecting rod.

4. The liquid crystal cell thickness measuring device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The through hole is a screw hole, and the fastener is a clamping bolt.

5. The liquid crystal cell thickness measuring device according to claim 4, characterized in that, One end of the tightening bolt that extends into the screw hole is provided with an elastic pressure-relieving element.

6. The liquid crystal cell thickness measuring device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The vertical distance between the end of the fiber optic probe closest to the test whiteboard and the empty box to be tested ranges from 2 to 3 mm.

7. The liquid crystal cell thickness measuring device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The length of the fiber optic probe ranges from 7 to 8 cm.

8. The liquid crystal cell thickness measuring device according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the empty cell under test is tested as a silicon-based sample, the test whiteboard is a specular whiteboard; when the empty cell under test is tested as a glass sample, the test whiteboard is a diffuse whiteboard.

9. A liquid crystal cell thickness measurement system, characterized in that, The liquid crystal cell thickness measuring device according to any one of claims 1-8, the liquid crystal cell thickness measuring system further includes a spectral analysis element, the spectral analysis element being used to acquire spectral pattern information of the reflected light generated by the incident light, and to determine the thickness of the empty cell to be measured based on the spectral pattern information of the reflected light.

10. The liquid crystal cell thickness measurement system according to claim 9, characterized in that, The spectral analysis device includes: A spectrometer is connected to the end of the second fiber optic patch cord furthest from the fiber optic probe. A mobile terminal is connected to the output of the spectrometer. The mobile terminal is used to acquire the spectral pattern information of the reflected light and determine the thickness of the empty box to be tested based on the spectral pattern information of the reflected light.

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