Patents by Inventor Hironori Kikkawa

Hironori Kikkawa has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20040048546
    Abstract: A method of fabricating a substrate for a display device prevents the problems occurring in the pattering process of a photosensitive organic material layer, such as the “stage image transfer” and “mask image reflection”. A photosensitive organic material layer is formed on or over a transparent plate, the layer being divided into a display section and a terminal section located outside the display section. The photosensitive organic material layer has a first thickness in the display section and a second thickness different from the first thickness in the terminal section. The layer is exposed to exposing light in such a way that the layer in the display section is exposed at a first exposure value according to the first thickness and the layer in the terminal section is exposed at a second exposure value according to the second thickness.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2003
    Publication date: March 11, 2004
    Applicant: NEC LCD TECHNOLOGIES,LTD
    Inventors: Michiaki Sakamoto, Hironori Kikkawa, Naohito Toyomaki
  • Patent number: 6704076
    Abstract: Color filters of R, G and B consisting of a negative resist film are simultaneously exposed by use of a photomask intercepting light for the regions connected to the transparent pixel electrodes after the source electrodes. Then, the color filters are simultaneously developed. Since the color filters consist of a negative resist film, the regions of the color filters corresponding to the light-intercepted regions, that is, the regions connected to the transparent pixel electrodes after the source electrodes are removed by the development, so that openings are formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2004
    Assignee: NEC LCD Technologies, Ltd.
    Inventors: Mamoru Okamoto, Michiaki Sakamoto, Hironori Kikkawa
  • Patent number: 6690446
    Abstract: In a color liquid crystal display panel of a CF-on-TFT structure having a black matrix and a color filter formed on a TFT substrate, reflected light is reduced by selecting and controlling a gap (d) of the CF-on-TFT panel and refractive index anisotropy (&Dgr;d) of a liquid crystal material by exploiting the presence of wavelength dependency between retardation (&Dgr;nd) and light transmittance so as to shift the wavelength of reflected light of external light from a pixel electrode ITO to a shorter wavelength side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2004
    Assignee: NEC LCD Technologies, Ltd.
    Inventors: Mamoru Okamoto, Yuji Yamamoto, Michiaki Sakamoto, Hironori Kikkawa
  • Publication number: 20040007752
    Abstract: An active matrix substrate forms a liquid crystal display panel together with a counter substrate and liquid crystal filling a gap therebetween, and color filters are covered with an overcoat layer of photo-sensitive acrylic resin, wherein column spacers of the photo-sensitive acrylic resin project from the overcoat layer so that the column spacers are hardly separated from the overcoat layer in a rubbing for producing an orientation layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 9, 2003
    Publication date: January 15, 2004
    Applicant: NEC Corporation
    Inventors: Shinichi Nakata, Yuji Yamamoto, Mamoru Okamoto, Michiaki Sakamoto, Hironori Kikkawa, Muneo Maruyama
  • Patent number: 6667777
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device having a switching device with a first electrode connected to the scanning line to become a gate, a second electrode connected to the signal line to become a drain or a source, a third electrode connected to the pixel electrode to become the source or the drain and switching the display signal to feed the corresponding pixel electrode by the scanning signal; and an electrode for an auxiliary capacitor, located in a place opposite to the pixel electrode to define the auxiliary capacitor. Further, the second and third electrodes are formed in a layer different from the first electrode, the pixel electrode is formed in top of the first, second, and third electrodes, and the electrode for an auxiliary capacitor is formed on the same layer as the first electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2003
    Assignee: NEC LCD Technologies, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hironori Kikkawa, Muneo Maruyama, Yuji Yamamoto, Mamoru Okamoto, Michiaki Sakamoto
  • Patent number: 6665032
    Abstract: A LCD device includes a pair of phase compensating plates for controlling the overall retardation of the LCD device substantially at a constant between the substrates. A wavelength-dependent compensating plate is additionally provided for compensating the wavelength dependency of the overall retardation of the LCD device to improve the contrast ratio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2003
    Assignees: NEC Corporation, NEC LCD Technologies, Ltd.
    Inventor: Hironori Kikkawa
  • Publication number: 20030223023
    Abstract: In a reflection type liquid crystal display device having a front light and a reflection type liquid crystal panel including a reflection electrode of uneven structure, average tilt angles of the uneven structure of the reflection electrode are changed to form a high directivity reflective region having a characteristic reflecting an incident light from the front light in a vertical direction and a wide viewing angle reflective region having a characteristic reflecting an outside light incident slantingly from the front in a vertical direction, thereby forming the high directivity reflective region and the wide viewing angle reflective region to be mixed in the reflection electrode in the same display device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 28, 2003
    Publication date: December 4, 2003
    Applicant: NEC LCD TECHNOLOGIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Fumihiko Fujishiro, Hironori Kikkawa, Michiaki Sakamoto
  • Patent number: 6654073
    Abstract: Band-shaped data lines are arranged in parallel with each other so as to cross address lines via a gate insulating film formed over the address lines. An upper insulating film is formed over the data lines, and pixel electrodes are formed on the upper insulating film. Storage capacitance section includes common electrode and storage capacitance electrode. The common electrode is extended from the address line of adjacent pixel region. The storage capacitance electrode sandwiches the gate insulating film with the common electrode to store capacitance therebetween. The storage capacitance electrodes and the pixel electrodes are connected to each other via conductive through hole piercing through the upper insulating film. Besides, the storage capacitance electrode, source electrode of the thin film transistor section and a wiring connecting them are integrally formed of the same metal films.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2003
    Assignee: NEC LCD Technologies, Ltd.
    Inventors: Muneo Maruyama, Takahiko Watanabe, Hironori Kikkawa, Yuji Yamamoto, Mamoru Okamoto, Michiaki Sakamoto, Shinichi Nakata, Masanobu Hidehira, Yoshitaka Horie
  • Patent number: 6577295
    Abstract: An active matrix LCD device includes a pixel element for defining a pixel area and having a TFT and a pixel electrode disposed in association with a portion of a common electrode. The common electrode encircles the pixel area for shielding the electric field from the black matrix, thereby preventing a stray electric field from entering the pixel area and degrading the image quality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2003
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Hironori Kikkawa
  • Patent number: 6577374
    Abstract: An active matrix substrate forms a liquid crystal display panel together with a counter substrate and liquid crystal filling a gap therebetween, and color filters are covered with an overcoat layer of photo-sensitive acrylic resin, wherein column spacers of the photo-sensitive acrylic resin project from the overcoat layer so that the column spacers are hardly separated from the overcoat layer in a rubbing for producing an orientation layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2003
    Assignee: NEC LCD Technologies, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinichi Nakata, Yuji Yamamoto, Mamoru Okamoto, Michiaki Sakamoto, Hironori Kikkawa, Muneo Maruyama
  • Publication number: 20030103178
    Abstract: There is provided a light-reflector used in a liquid crystal display device which uses an externally incident light as a light source by reflecting the externally incident light to a viewer, wherein the light-reflector is formed at a surface thereof with a rugged pattern comprised of alternately formed recessed and raised portions, and the rugged pattern is formed periodically repeatedly every two pixels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 7, 2002
    Publication date: June 5, 2003
    Applicant: NEC Corporation
    Inventors: Michiaki Sakamoto, Hironori Kikkawa, Kenkichi Harada
  • Patent number: 6570635
    Abstract: In a liquid crystal display device having a pixel substrate 1, a opposite substrate 2 and a liquid crystal layer 3 disposed between the pixel substrate 1 and the opposite substrate 2, the pixel substrate 1 has a transparent substrate 4, a pixel electrode 5 provided on the transparent substrate 4, an orientation control slope portion 6 which is provided on the pixel electrode 5, sloped in different directions within each pixel and formed of organic film such as acrylic resin, and an orientation layer 7 coated on the orientation control slope portion 6, and the opposite substrate 2 has a transparent substrate 8, a opposite electrode 9 provided on the transparent substrate 8 and an orientation layer 10 coated on the opposite electrode 9.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2003
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Hironori Kikkawa
  • Publication number: 20030038907
    Abstract: A reflection electrode has an undulated shape and whose normal direction is distributed unevenly to a specific azimuth angle and whose reflection light intensity depends on said azimuth angle. Openings are formed in that area of the reflection electrode which has a tilt angle of 0 degree to 2 degrees and/or a tilt angle of 10 degrees or higher. The retardation of a liquid crystal layer is changed by making the liquid crystal molecular alignment mode different between the openings and the reflection electrode, so that the intensity of output light is increased in reflection mode as well as in transmission mode. The balance of colors displayed in transmission mode is determined by determining the area of the openings in pixels of each color, and the color temperature is set higher in transmission mode than in reflection mode. This provides a semi-transmission type liquid crystal display which has an excellent visibility in reflection mode as well as in transmission mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2002
    Publication date: February 27, 2003
    Applicant: NEC Corporation
    Inventors: Hidenori Ikeno, Masayoshi Suzuki, Youichi Murayama, Michiaki Sakamoto, Fumihiko Matsuno, Hironori Kikkawa, Yuichi Yamaguchi
  • Publication number: 20030025870
    Abstract: In a liquid crystal display device having a pixel substrate 1, a opposite substrate 2 and a liquid crystal layer 3 disposed between the pixel substrate 1 and the opposite substrate 2, the pixel substrate 1 has a transparent substrate 4, a pixel electrode 5 provided on the transparent substrate 4, an orientation control slope portion 6 which is provided on the pixel electrode 5, sloped in different directions within each pixel and formed of organic film such as acrylic resin, and an orientation layer 7 coated on the orientation control slope portion 6, and the opposite substrate 2 has a transparent substrate 8, a opposite electrode 9 provided on the transparent substrate 8 and an orientation layer 10 coated on the opposite electrode 9.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2002
    Publication date: February 6, 2003
    Applicant: NEC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hironori Kikkawa
  • Publication number: 20030025866
    Abstract: In a liquid crystal display device having a pixel substrate 1, a opposite substrate 2 and a liquid crystal layer 3 disposed between the pixel substrate 1 and the opposite substrate 2, the pixel substrate 1 has a transparent substrate 4, a pixel electrode 5 provided on the transparent substrate 4, an orientation control slope portion 6 which is provided on the pixel electrode 5, sloped in different directions within each pixel and formed of organic film such as acrylic resin, and an orientation layer 7 coated on the orientation control slope portion 6, and the opposite substrate 2 has a transparent substrate 8, a opposite electrode 9 provided on the transparent substrate 8 and an orientation layer 10 coated on the opposite electrode 9.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2002
    Publication date: February 6, 2003
    Applicant: NEC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hironori Kikkawa
  • Patent number: 6507382
    Abstract: This invention provides a liquid-crystal display where both pixel electrode 14 and common electrode 3 for controlling a liquid-crystal layer 40 are disposed above a color filter 10 covered with a shield electrode 20.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2003
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventors: Michiaki Sakamoto, Mamoru Okamoto, Shinichi Nakata, Yuji Yamamoto, Takahiko Watanabe, Hirofumi Ihara, Hironori Kikkawa, Hiroaki Matsuyama
  • Publication number: 20020196396
    Abstract: A reflection plate is formed so as to have a wavy surface, and to have uneven distribution of normal line directions of the surface in terms of a specific azimuth angle. The wavy surface is formed due to line-shaped protruding patterns and an insulation film layer. The protruding patterns intersect with one another to form concave portions each having a shape of a closed figure. The protruding patterns are formed by patterning, such that they have almost uniform thickness.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2002
    Publication date: December 26, 2002
    Applicant: NEC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michiaki Sakamoto, Yuichi Yamaguchi, Hidenori Ikeno, Takahiko Watanabe, Hironori Kikkawa, Fumihiko Matuno
  • Publication number: 20020191146
    Abstract: Color filters of R, G and B consisting of a negative resist film are simultaneously exposed by use of a photomask intercepting light for the regions connected to the transparent pixel electrodes after the source electrodes. Then, the color filters are simultaneously developed. Since the color filters consist of a negative resist film, the regions of the color filters corresponding to the light-intercepted regions, that is, the regions connected to the transparent pixel electrodes after the source electrodes are removed by the development, so that openings are formed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2002
    Publication date: December 19, 2002
    Applicant: NEC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mamoru Okamoto, Michiaki Sakamoto, Hironori Kikkawa
  • Publication number: 20020163609
    Abstract: A reflector for a reflection-type LCD device is provided, which reflects efficiently incident light to the viewer's side and that suppresses the change of color tone. The reflector comprises a roughened surface having a protrusion pattern. The protrusion pattern gives inclination angle to the surface according to a specific distribution where a first component with an inclination angle value of 0° is 15% or less in area and a second component with an inclination angle value from 2° to 10° is 50% or greater in area. The protrusion pattern gives a variation range of chromaticity coordinates (x, y) on a chromaticity diagram dependent on an angle of view. The variation range is limited in a circle on the chromaticity diagram. The circle has a radius of approximately 0.05 and a center at a point corresponding to white color.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2002
    Publication date: November 7, 2002
    Applicant: NEC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michiaki Sakamoto, Yuichi Yamaguchi, Hidenori Ikeno, Fumihiko Matsuno, Hironori Kikkawa
  • Patent number: 6476894
    Abstract: In a liquid crystal display device having a pixel substrate 1, a opposite substrate 2 and a liquid crystal layer 3 disposed between the pixel substrate 1 and the opposite substrate 2, the pixel substrate 1 has a transparent substrate 4, a pixel electrode 5 provided on the transparent substrate 4, an orientation control slope portion 6 which is provided on the pixel electrode 5, sloped in different directions within each pixel and formed of organic film such as acrylic resin, and an orientation layer 7 coated on the orientation control slope portion 6, and the opposite substrate 2 has a transparent substrate 8, a opposite electrode 9 provided on the transparent substrate 8 and an orientation layer 10 coated on the opposite electrode 9.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2002
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Hironori Kikkawa