Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal layer, a row signal line, a column signal line, and a magnetic memory element, the row signal line and the column signal line being formed on one side or opposing sides of the liquid crystal layer. Magnetization of the magnetic memory element is controlled by a magnetic field generated by at least one of the row signal line and the column signal line to be in one of a magnetized state and a non-magnetized state, and a moment for driving the liquid crystal layer is generated by the magnetic memory element being retained in the magnetized state, thereby causing optical modulation in the liquid crystal layer.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to regulate the thickness of a liquid crystal layer between faces of substrates more uniformly and accurately than the prior arts, to eliminate an orientation disturbance caused in a rubbing treatment and to prevent a display performance from degraded, by introducing columnar spacers which have a firm adhesion force to an active matrix substrate. On an active matrix substrate which has switching elements arranged in a matrix form and pixel electrodes, columnar spacers are formed in vicinities of the switching elements on gate lines or source lines connected to the switching elements, or formed on the switching elements. Further, for giving a rubbing process to a resin film for an orientation film which is formed on the active matrix substrate, a rubbing direction is set to be a direction where an orientation-disturbed region formed in the rear of the columnar spacers does not overlap the pixel electrode substantially.