Evaluation of the mechanical and tribological properties of a TFT-LCD panel

The mechanical and tribological properties of color filter (CF) and thin-film transistor (TFT) glasses of a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel were investigated. The motivation was to understand the scratch defect generation behavior during the LCD grinding belt cleaning process. Nano-indentation and nano-scratch tests were performed to assess the hardness and scratch resistance of the CF and TFT specimens. Friction and wear tests were also performed on these specimens using a grinding belt as the countersurface. The experimental results revealed that a much softer grinding belt was capable of imparting significant surface damage on the CF and TFT specimens. The results of this work are expected to aid in optimization of the LCD manufacturing process to minimize defects during cleaning.