Glass manufacturing – Processes – Fusion bonding of glass to a formed part
Patent
1994-08-29
1996-08-20
Czaja, Donald E.
Glass manufacturing
Processes
Fusion bonding of glass to a formed part
65 36, 65 54, 527861, C03B 2320, E04C 254
Patent
active
055474837
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to spacers used in flat display screens as well as processes for implementing these spacers.
The invention more particularly relates to the industrial manufacturing of display screens, such as micropoints, plasma, liquid crystal, etc., screens, formed by two adjacent plates made of glass, quartz or silicon and forming a flat airtight chamber that is subjected to a vacuum.
Flat display screens require the use of spacers for maintaining a predetermined distance between the two support plates. To maintain a predetermined distance between the electrodes raises problems as regards the spacer's size (spacers must be invisible) and its implementation.
In the prior art processes, the distance to be kept between the two plates is generally provided by balls that are distributed over one of the plates and glued before the second plate is mounted. The distribution of the balls is controlled with a frame or an analogous device. Such a technique has many drawbacks:
The balls are inaccurately positioned which may cause some active portions of the electrodes disposed over the plates to be crushed.
It is difficult to control the final distance between the two plates due to the pressure applied by the plates onto the balls once vacuum is established.
The width of the balls cannot be smaller than their height.
The balls are subject to electrostatic charging that may cause destroying breakdowns.
An object of the present invention is to avoid the above-mentioned drawbacks. Indeed, the invention allows both to accurately control the distance between the plates and the position of the spacers and to decrease the lateral size of the spacers.
The invention uses continuous or discontinuous spacers formed by circular, polygonal or other threads or pads that are preferably made of glass or quartz. The spacers are made of fibers, pads or piles of various shapes that are glued, welded or sealed, either on one plate (their height being equal to the desired distance) or on both plates so as to be interleaved, each series of spacers providing a portion of the distance between the two plates once the process is completed.
Among the attached drawings, that illustrate non-limitative exemplary embodiments of the invention:
FIG. 1 is a top view of fiber spacers disposed in parallel over a plate;
FIG. 2 is a top view of fiber spacers disposed in two interleaved patterns;
FIGS. 3 and 4 are enlarged partial cross-sectional views, along arrows 3--3 of FIG. 1, respectively showing circular and rectangular fibers;
FIG. 5 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view, along arrows 5--5 of FIG. 2, showing rectangular interleaved fibers;
FIG. 6 is a top view of a plate over which is disposed a spacer network formed by a single stretched fusible glass fiber;
FIG. 7 is a partial perspective cross-sectional view of a plate after etching of the areas intended to accommodate spacers;
FIG. 8 is a partial cross-sectional view of two plates constituting a screen including spacers disposed over the etched areas;
FIG. 9 is a partial cross-sectional view of the assembly after heating and welding of spacers achieved by partially melting the spacers;
FIG. 10 represents the two plates moved aside one from the other so as to obtain the desired distance;
FIG. 11 is a partial cross-sectional view of a plate over which pad-shaped spacers are disposed; and
FIG. 12 is a partial cross-sectional view of spacers constituted by pads sealed in one of the plates.
The device of FIGS. 1-6 is constituted by a flat display screen, such as a micropoint, plasma or analogous screen, that is formed by two plates 1, 2 made of glass, quartz or silicon. Plates 1, 2 are associated with spacers 3, 4 formed by fibers preferably made of glass or quartz.
These circular, rectangular or polygonal fibers 3 can be threads or pads that are stretched and fixed by glueing, laser welding or by any other suitable means, onto one of the two plates 1, 2 (FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4) or on both plates (FIGS. 2, 5) in one or two parallel element arrays.
When fibers 3 are disposed over onl
REFERENCES:
patent: 4428764 (1984-01-01), Snitzer et al.
Garcia Michel
Pepi Richard
Czaja Donald E.
Padgett Calvin
Pixel International
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