Liquid Crystal Display Spacer Hardness Gradient for Cell Gap Uniformity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Liquid crystal display panels face issues with waviness and non-uniform cell gaps due to static friction between spacers and protrusions, leading to image imperfections and internal structure damage.
Innovation Solution
A spacer with varying hardness is used, where the portion contacting the protrusion has higher hardness to reduce static friction and the portion contacting the upper array substrate has lower hardness, allowing for even force distribution and increased contact density between spacers and protrusions to alleviate waviness and maintain uniform cell gaps.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a spacer contacts a protrusion to prevent internal structure damage, then friction between the spacer and lower array substrate is reduced, but static friction between the spacer and protrusion causes waviness in the upper array substrate
Solution Approach 1:
The spacer is designed with different hardness values at different locations: the first portion (contacting the protrusion) has a first hardness, while the second portion (contacting the upper array substrate) has a second hardness. This local differentiation allows the spacer to simultaneously reduce friction at the protrusion interface and maintain contact stability with the upper substrate, resolving the contradiction between preventing internal damage and avoiding waviness.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the spacer material is made uniformly hard to reduce friction, then internal structure damage is prevented, but the spacer cannot adapt to surface irregularities causing non-uniform cell gaps
Solution Approach 1:
The spacer employs local quality differentiation with the first portion having higher hardness to reduce friction and prevent damage, while the second portion has lower hardness to conform to surface irregularities and maintain uniform cell gaps. This resolves the contradiction between friction reduction and precision maintenance.
Solution Approach 2:
The hardness parameter of the spacer material is changed across different regions. The first portion uses a higher hardness value to minimize friction, while the second portion uses a lower hardness value to ensure adaptability to surface variations, thereby achieving both damage prevention and precision control.
3Manufacturing precision
If the spacer is made soft to conform to surface variations, then cell gap uniformity is improved, but the spacer cannot effectively prevent internal structure damage from friction
Solution Approach 1:
The spacer is designed with spatially varying hardness: the first portion (harder) contacts the protrusion to prevent friction damage, while the second portion (softer) contacts the upper array substrate to conform to surface variations and maintain uniform cell gaps.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If a protrusion is added to prevent spacer movement, then friction damage is reduced, but contact density between spacer and protrusion decreases leading to waviness
Solution Approach 1:
The hardness parameter of the spacer's first portion is increased to optimize the interaction with the protrusion. This higher hardness increases contact density between the spacer and protrusion, preventing waviness while still reducing friction damage to internal structures.
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid crystal display panel includes an upper array substrate and a lower array substrate that are positioned to be opposite to each other, a liquid crystal positioned between the upper and lower array substrates, a protrusion projecting from the lower array substrate and a spacer positioned between the upper array substrate and the lower array substrate, the spacer having a first portion contacting the protrusion and a second portion contacting the upper array substrate, and the first portion has a first hardness different from a second hardness of a second portion.