Patent EP0854377A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0854377A2
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EP
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Liquid crystal display device and method for producing the same
Assignee: Sharp Corp
•
Filing: 1997-12-15
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Granted: —
•
Expires: 2017-12-15
Abstract
Abstract A liquid crystal display device of the present invention includes a pair of substrates and a liquid crystal layer provided between the substrates, wherein liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer have a negative dielectric anisotropy, and the liquid crystal molecules are aligned in a direction substantially vertical to the substrates when no voltage is being applied and are axis-symmetrically aligned in each of a plurality of pixel regions under application of a voltage.
Inventors
- 👤 Nobuaki Yamada
- 👤 Fumikazu Shimoshikiryo
- 👤 Yasuhiro Kume
- 👤 Shuichi Kozaki
- 👤 Takako Adachi
- 👤 Shinichi Terashita
- 👤 Takashi Kurihara
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 23:25
CPC Classifications
A; A23; A23D; A23D9/00; G; G02; G02F; G02F1/00; G02F1/01; G02F1/13; G02F1/133; G02F1/1333; G02F1/1337; A23J; A23J1/00; A23J1/08; A23K; A23K20/00; A23K20/10; A23K20/158; A23K50/00; A23K50/70; A23K50/75; A23L; A23L15/00; A23L15/20; A23L33/00; A23L33/10; A23L33/115; A23L33/12; C; C07; C07C; C07C53/00; C07C53/126; C07C57/00; C07C57/02; C07C57/03; C07C57/12; G02F1/133377; G02F1/133707; G02F1/133753; A23V; A23V2002/00; G02F1/133374; G02F1/1335; G02F1/133509; G02F1/133512; G02F1/137; G02F1/139; G02F1/1393; G02F1/1396
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 36
Claim 1
Independent Claim
70 words
A liquid crystal display device comprising a pair of
substrates and a liquid crystal layer provided between
the substrates, wherein liquid crystal molecules in the
liquid crystal layer have a negative dielectric
anisotropy, and the liquid crystal molecules are aligned
in a direction substantially vertical to the substrates
when no voltage is being applied and axis-symmetrically
aligned in each of a plurality of pixel regions under
application of a voltage.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
74 words
A liquid crystal display device according to claim 1,
wherein a thickness (d in ) of the liquid crystal layer in
the pixel region is larger than a thickness (d out ) of the
liquid crystal layer outside of the pixel region, and the
device includes a homeotropic alignment layer in a region
corresponding to the pixel region on a surface of at
least one of the substrates on the liquid crystal layer
side.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
32 words
A liquid crystal display device according to claim 2,
wherein at least one of the substrates has convex portions
defining the pixel region on a surface on the
liquid crystal layer side.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
42 words
A liquid crystal display device according to claim 1,
wherein the thickness of the liquid crystal layer in the
pixel region is largest at a central portion of the pixel
region and continuously decreases toward a peripheral
portion of the pixel region.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
32 words
A liquid crystal display device according to claim 4,
wherein the thickness of the liquid crystal layer in the
pixel region is axis-symmetrically changed around the
central portion of the pixel region.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
38 words
A liquid crystal display device according to claim 1,
further comprising a projection at the central portion of
the pixel region, wherein the liquid crystal molecules
are axis-symmetrically aligned around the projection
under the application of a voltage.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
30 words
A liquid crystal display device according to claim 1,
wherein a retardation d·Δn of the liquid crystal layer is
in a range of about 300 nm to about 500 nm.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
28 words
A liquid crystal display device according to claim 1,
wherein a twist angle of the liquid crystal layer is in
a range of about 45° to about 110°.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
70 words
A liquid crystal display device according to claim 1,
comprising a pair of polarizing plates disposed in
crossed Nicols on both sides of the liquid crystal layer,
a phase difference plate having a relationship, in which
a refractive index n x,y in an in-plane direction is
greater than a refractive index n z in a direction vertical
to a plane, being provided on at least one of the polarizing
plates.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
45 words
A liquid crystal display device according to claim 1,
wherein an axis-symmetrical alignment fixing layer which
provides the liquid crystal molecules with an axis-symmetrical
pretilt angle is further formed on a surface
of at least one of the substrates on the liquid crystal
layer side.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
19 words
A liquid crystal display device according to claim
10, wherein the axis-symmetrical alignment fixing layer
contains a photocurable resin.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
90 words
A method for producing a liquid crystal display
device, comprising the steps of: forming a homeotropic alignment layer on a pair
of substrates, respectively; disposing a mixture containing a liquid crystal
material having a negative dielectric anisotropy and a
photocurable resin between the homeotropic alignment
layers on the substrates; and curing the photocurable resin while applying a
voltage higher than a threshold voltage of the liquid
crystal material to the mixture, so as to form an axis-symmetrical
alignment fixing layer providing the liquid
crystal molecules with an axis-symmetrical pretilt angle.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
46 words
A method for producing a liquid crystal display
device according to claim 12, further comprising the step
of forming convex portions defining pixel regions on a
surface of at least one of the substrates before the step
of forming the homeotropic alignment layers on the substrates.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
99 words
A liquid crystal display device, comprising: a plasma
substrate having plasma chambers for performing plasma
discharge; a counter substrate having signal electrodes;
and a liquid crystal layer provided between the plasma
substrate and the counter substrate, the device being
driven by the signal electrodes and the plasma chambers, wherein liquid crystal molecules in the liquid
crystal layer have a negative dielectric anisotropy, and
the liquid crystal molecules are aligned in a direction
substantially vertical to the substrates when no voltage
is being applied and axis-symmetrically aligned in each
of a plurality of pixel regions under application of a
voltage.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
74 words
A liquid crystal display device according to claim
14, wherein a thickness (d in ) of the liquid crystal layer
in the pixel region is larger than a thickness (d out ) of
the liquid crystal layer outside of the pixel region, and
the device includes a homeotropic alignment layer in a
region corresponding to the pixel region on a surface of
at least one of the substrates on the liquid crystal
layer side.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
37 words
A liquid crystal display device according to claim
15, wherein at least one of the counter substrate and the
plasma substrate has convex portions defining the pixel
region on a surface on the liquid crystal layer side.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
42 words
A liquid crystal display device according to claim
14, wherein the thickness of the liquid crystal layer in
the pixel region is largest at a central portion of the
pixel region and continuously decreases toward a peripheral
portion of the pixel region.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
32 words
A liquid crystal display device according to claim
17, wherein the thickness of the liquid crystal layer in
the pixel region is axis-symmetrically changed around the
central portion of the pixel region.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
49 words
A liquid crystal display device according to claim
14, comprising a pair of polarizing plates disposed in
crossed-Nicols on both sides of the liquid crystal layer,
a polarization axis of one of the polarizing plates being
parallel to an extending direction of the signal electrodes
or the plasma chambers.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
50 words
A liquid crystal display device according to claim
14, wherein an axis-symmetrical alignment fixing layer
which provides the liquid crystal molecules with an axis-symmetrical
pretilt angle is further formed on a surface
of at least one of the plasma substrate and the counter
substrate on the liquid crystal layer side.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
19 words
A liquid crystal display device according to claim
20, wherein the axis-symmetrical alignment fixing layer
contains a photocurable resin.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
118 words
A liquid crystal display device, comprising: a pair
of substrates and a liquid crystal layer provided between
the substrates, wherein liquid crystal molecules in the liquid
crystal layer have a negative dielectric anisotropy, and
the liquid crystal molecules are aligned in a direction
substantially vertical to the substrates when no driving
voltage is being applied and axis-symmetrically aligned
around an axis-symmetrical alignment central axis in each
of a plurality of pixel regions under application of a
driving voltage, and convex portions defining the pixel region are
provided on a surface of at least one of the substrates
on the liquid crystal layer side, and a treatment for
controlling a position of the axis-symmetrical alignment
central axis is conducted.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
43 words
A liquid crystal display device according to claim
22, comprising a region in which the liquid crystal
molecules keep a homeotropic alignment state under
application of an axis-symmetrical alignment central axis
forming voltage at each predetermined position in the
plurality of pixel regions.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
58 words
A liquid crystal display device according to claim
23, wherein Sa is an area of the region in which the
liquid crystal molecules keep a homeotropic alignment
state under the application of the axis-symmetrical
alignment central axis forming voltage, A is an area of
the pixel region, and Sa/A satisfies the relationship 0
< Sa/A < 4% .
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
51 words
A liquid crystal display device according to claim
22, comprising an axis-symmetrical alignment central axis
forming portion at a predetermined position in each of
the plurality of pixel regions, and the axis-symmetrical
alignment central axis of the liquid crystal molecules is
formed corresponding to the axis-symmetrical alignment
central axis forming portion.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
41 words
A liquid crystal display device according to claim
25, wherein Sb is an area of the axis-symmetrical alignment
central axis forming portion, A is an area of the
pixel region, and Sb/A satisfies the relationship 0 < Sb/A < 4% .
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
36 words
A liquid crystal display device according to claim
22, wherein a thickness of the liquid crystal layer in
the pixel region is larger than a thickness of the liquid
crystal layer outside of the pixel region.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
46 words
A liquid crystal display device according to claim
27, wherein the thickness of the liquid crystal layer in
the pixel region is largest at a central portion of the
pixel region and continuously decreases from the central
portion to a peripheral portion of the pixel region.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
32 words
A liquid crystal display device according to claim
28, wherein the thickness of the liquid crystal layer in
the pixel region is axis-symmetrically changed around the
central portion of the pixel region.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
33 words
A liquid crystal display device according to claim
22, wherein an axis-symmetrical alignment fixing layer is
provided on a surface of at least one of the substrates
on the liquid crystal layer side.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
19 words
A liquid crystal display device according to claim
30, wherein the axis-symmetrical alignment fixing layer
contains a photocurable resin.
Claim 32
Independent Claim
95 words
A method for producing a liquid crystal display
device including a pair of substrates and a liquid
crystal layer provided between the substrates, liquid
crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer having a
negative dielectric anisotropy, the liquid crystal
molecules being aligned in a direction substantially
vertical to the substrates when no driving voltage is
being applied and being axis-symmetrically aligned around
an axis-symmetrical alignment central axis in each of a
plurality of pixel regions under application of a driving
voltage, the method comprising the step of performing an
axis-symmetrical alignment central axis forming process.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
59 words
A method for producing a liquid crystal display
device according to claim 32, wherein the axis-symmetrical
alignment central axis forming process includes the
steps of: disposing a precursor mixture containing a liquid
crystal material and a photocurable material between the
substrates; and curing the photocurable material while applying
an axis-symmetrical alignment central axis forming
voltage to the precursor mixture.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
34 words
A method for producing a liquid crystal display
device according to claim 33, wherein the axis-symmetrical
alignment central axis forming voltage is 1/2 or more
of a threshold voltage of the liquid crystal material.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
25 words
A method for producing a liquid crystal display
device according to claim 33, wherein the axis-symmetrical
alignment central axis forming voltage is an AC
voltage.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
25 words
A method for producing a liquid crystal display
device according to claim 35, wherein a frequency of the
AC voltage is 1 Hz or more.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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