March 17, 2006

NTN Develops High-Speed,
High-Quality Color Filter Repair Device

The NTN Corporation has developed a color filter repair device that repairs faulty sections of liquid crystal display (LCD) color filters with improved quality and speed. This device is ideal for larger-size higher precision flat panel displays.

Conventional ink-coating color filter repair devices usually use one or two ink-coating needles. In repairing the four colors (RGB and black), the needle must be cleaned each time the repair ink is changed. This procedure takes a long time to perform. Also, since the amount of ink coated by the needle is always the same and cannot be finely adjusted, ink will sometimes seep out into undamaged sections of the display.

The device that NTN has developed has a separate needle and ink tank for each of the four colors (RGB and black). This makes it possible to change the color without cleaning off the needle.

Furthermore, the assembly stores the needle in the ink tank. The needle fills the ink by going through the bore in the bottom of the tank. This shortens the time to load the ink. As a result, the time for one cycle of repair is only 30% of that for conventional devices (a 70% reduction).

Also, the needle tip is specially processed so that the amount coated can be controlled by adjusting the time that the needle is in contact with the color filter board. This eliminates the leakage of ink into unaffected areas. Varying the coating amount from a few picoliters to a few tenths of picoliters (1 picoliter = 1 trillionth of one liter) improves repair quality.

[Features]

1. Shorter repair time: The time for one cycle of repair is only 30% of that for conventional devices (a 70% reduction).
   • Uses a high-speed drive mechanism designed exclusively for the coating.
   • Has a separate needle and ink tank for each of the four colors so it is possible to change the color without cleaning off the needle.
   • The assembly stores the needle in the ink tank, shortening the time to load the ink.
2. High-quality repair
   • The needle tip is specially processed so that the amount coated can be controlled by adjusting the time that the needle is in contact with the color filter board. This procedure prevents the bleeding of ink into unaffected areas

[Application]

LCD color filter board defects

[Coating mechanism section features]

• High-speed drive mechanisms designed
  exclusively for the coating (Y, Z, X1, and X2 axes)
  • Repair cycle times shortened by high-speed,
    high-precision drive using ultra-compact linear motors
  
• Four separate coating needles
  • No need for changing ink color shortened repair time
  
• The assembly stores the needle in the ink tank
  • The needle fills the ink by going through the bore in the bottom of the tank. This shortens the time to load the ink.
• Ink loaded needle
  • Varying the coating amount from a few picoliters to a few tenths of picoliters
    (1 picoliter = 1 trillionth of one liter) improves repair quality
  

[Repair example]

Close