Victor Company of Japan, Limited

Masami Sonda

Masanobu Shigeta

Nozomu Ohkouchi

Takashi Moroboshi

Takeshi Hosoya

Tatsushi Nakanishi

Nobuyasu Katayama

An alignment layer to be used for liquid crystal displays each having at least two substrates with liquid crystals sealed therebetween is formed as follows. The substrates placed on each of several substrate trays are heated in a first load-lock chamber. At least one of the two substrates is irradiated with evaporated particles of oxide silicon (SiOx: 1.0&lE;&times;&lE;2.0) by vacuum deposition at an angle in the range from 45&deg; to 60&deg; from a direction of the normal line on the substrate surface to form an alignment layer thereon while the substrate trays are being moved in a layer-deposition chamber intermittently or sequentially. The substrate trays are cooled in a second load-lock chamber, thus producing substrates each formed the alignment layer thereon. The deposition chamber may be set under a requirement 0&lE;&Dgr;&thgr;&lE;3&deg; in &Dgr;&thgr;&equals;tan )dcos &thgr;/(D&plus;d sin &thgr;)), &ldquo;d&rdquo; a distance from the substrate center to the center of a substrate edge, &ldquo;D&rdquo; a distance from the substrate center to the center of an evaporation source containing the oxide silicon, and &thgr; an angle formed between a direction in which the normal line extends on the substrate center and another direction in which evaporated particles of oxide silicon are deposited on the substrate center from the evaporation source. The alignment layer may be formed at an angle of layer deposition in the range from 3&deg; to 10&deg;.

Apparatus and method of producing alignment layer for liquid crystal display

An alignment layer to be used for liquid crystal displays each having at least two substrates with liquid crystals sealed therebetween is formed as follows: The substrates placed on each of several substrate trays are heated in a first load-lock chamber. At least one of the two substrates is irradiated with evaporated particles of oxide silicon (SiOx: 1.0&lE;&times;&lE;2.0) by vacuum deposition at an angle in the range from 45&deg; to 60&deg; from a direction of the normal line on the substrate surface to form an alignment layer thereon while the substrate trays are being moved in a layer-deposition chamber intermittently or sequentially. The substrate trays are cooled in a second load-lock chamber, thus producing substrates each formed the alignment layer thereon. The deposition chamber may be set under a requirement 0&lE;&Dgr;&thgr;&lE;3&deg; in &Dgr;&thgr;&equals;tan (d cos &thgr;/(D&plus;d sin &thgr;)), &ldquo;d&rdquo; a distance from the substrate center to the center of a substrate edge, &ldquo;D&rdquo; a distance from the substrate center to the center of an evaporation source containing the oxide silicon, and &thgr; an angle formed between a direction in which the normal line extends on the substrate center and another direction in which evaporated particles of oxide silicon are deposited on the substrate center from the evaporation source. The alignment layer may be formed at an angle of layer deposition in the range from 3&deg; to 10&deg;.

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Yokohama, Japan

Masami Sonda