Abstract: The substrate transportation apparatus 10 comprises a plurality of transportation rollers 22A-22D disposed at a predetermined spacing for transporting the substrate 40 in response to rotation of the transportation rollers 22. Each of the transportation rollers 22 is generally hollow cylindrical member formed with a plurality of slit nozzles 24 in the circumference. Alternating rows of the transportation rollers 22 are designed to blow and suck air to and from the bottom surface of the substrate 40 under transportation while preventing dust or any other foreign materials from collecting on the bottom surface of the substrate 40.

Abstract: To provide a transflective liquid crystal display apparatus that employs in-plane switching mode (in-plane switching system), which exhibits a reflection property of wide view angles. Provided is a transflective liquid crystal display apparatus which comprises: a reflective area and a transmissive area; an uneven reflective plate provided in the reflective area; a flattening film laminated on the uneven reflective plate; and common electrodes and pixel electrodes arranged on the flattening film, wherein, the uneven reflective plate comprises a diffusive reflecting function that is capable of diffusely reflecting light making incident at an incident angle of 30 degrees towards directions at exit angles of 0-10 degrees, and a surface of the flattening film is set to be substantially flat.

Abstract: In an IPS liquid crystal display device, a reduction in optical leakage from the outer peripheral portion of an electrode pattern in flexed configuration and an improvement in the contrast of display on a screen are intended. The IPS liquid crystal display device has a plurality of signal lines and scan lines arranged as a matrix on a TFT substrate, TFT switching elements, and comb-like pixel electrodes connected to the TFT switching elements. In a pixel region, a comb-like common electrode is formed in interdigitated relation with the pixel electrodes. The pixel electrodes, the common electrode, and the signal lines are formed in mutually parallel and flexed configuration at a given angle relative to an optical axis. The outer edge of each pixel electrode, the common electrode, and the signal lines is added with fine stairwise fine stepped portions composed of the same material as composing the electrodes and lines.

Abstract: An apparatus for processing a substrate includes a gas-atmosphere applying unit for applying gas atmosphere to the substrate, and a light-exposure unit for exposing the substrate to light through a lower surface of the substrate.

Abstract: In a liquid crystal display unit where a matrix pattern of pixels are defined by gate lines and crosswise data lines, transparent pixel electrodes are formed on the same layer as the data lines and corresponding transparent common electrodes are formed above the transparent pixel electrodes. On the common electrodes the liquid crystal layer is provided. In the aperture of each pixel, the common electrode has a pattern of parallel stripe portions and a peripheral portion outside of the aperture for shielding the field of the corresponding data line. Each pixel electrode cooperates with that parallel stripe portions of the corresponding common electrode to produce inner fringe fields along such parallel stripe portions and has portions that overlap the peripheral portions of the common electrode to produce peripheral fringe fields so that liquid-crystal cells can be uniformly in-plane switched by the inner fringe fields as well as by the peripheral fringe fields.

Abstract: An optical unit comprises a frame. A light conductive plate is combined with the frame only and stationary relative thereto.

Abstract: Disclosed is a photoresist film which is formed in a manner of covering at least a source electrode, a source line, a pixel electrode, a drain electrode, a drain line, a semiconductor film and a protective film, and further covering a gate insulting film in their vicinities. Moreover, wet and dry etchings are sequentially performed by using the photoresist film as a mask. Due to this etching, a residual pattern existing on the gate insulating film is etched.

Abstract: A light source device has a transparent/scattering state switching element for switching the range of irradiation angles, and liquid crystal molecules and dichroic dye molecules are dispersed in a polymer matrix in the PDLC layer of the transparent/scattering state switching element. The range of irradiation angles can thereby be switched, and the color can be prevented from changing when the radiation angle is switched.

Abstract: A semi-transmissive type liquid-crystal display device makes it possible to easily optimize both the reflection characteristic (reflection mode) and the transmission characteristic (transmission mode) while keeping a high aperture ratio, thereby improving the display quality. A liquid crystal layer is disposed between first and second substrates. Switching elements are formed on the first substrate for respective pixel regions. Each of the pixel regions is divided into a transmission region and a reflection region. An interlayer insulating film is formed to cover the switching elements on the first substrate. In the transmission region, a transmission electrode is formed on the interlayer insulating film. In the reflection region, a reflection electrode is formed on the interlayer insulating film. The surface of the interlayer insulating film is partially removed, thereby forming a level difference between the transmission and reflection regions.

Abstract: A beam direction control element has transparent areas and light absorption areas alternately arranged on a surface of a substrate, wherein the light absorption areas function as a louver for controlling the direction of a beam of light. The beam direction control element is manufactured by disposing an optically transparent material on a first transparent substrate to form transparent ridges which constitute the transparent areas, filling curable and photo-absorptive fluid in gaps between the transparent ridges, and then curing the fluid to form the light absorption areas.

Abstract: A stacked film patterning method is provided which is capable of reliably removing residual substances remaining after etching of a metal film, improving etching uniformity of a silicon film, and preventing an occurrence of etching residues. A micro-crystal film and a chromium film are sequentially formed on an insulating film serving as a front-end film and the chromium film is etched to be patterned by using a resist as a mask. Next, a micro-crystal silicon film on which the residual substances exist is exposed to plasma of a mixed gas including chlorine gas and oxygen gas to selectively etch the residual substances on a surface of the micro-crystal silicon film. After that, the micro-crystal silicon film is dry etched.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display is provided which is capable of improving a quality of a displayed image made up of a moving image and a static image in a mixed manner. By arranging backlights and by dividing one frame of a video input signal into four frame blocks and by getting a moving image detecting circuit to judge whether an image for each of the frame blocks is a moving image or a static image and having a lighting timing duty control section get the backlight corresponding to an image for the frame block having been judged to be a moving image to flash and also get the backlight corresponding to an image for the frame block having been judged to be a static image to be turned ON all the time, occurrence in an image retention phenomenon or a blur of an edge is reduced when a moving image is to be displayed and occurrence of a flicker is eliminated when a static image is to be displayed, which enables improvements in a quality of a displayed image.

Abstract: In a panel washing device for conveying a panel on a surface plate using an endless belt, spraying washing liquid from a wash nozzle, and washing and removing foreign substances from a surface of the panel by a washing head, a wash nozzle and water discharge path are disposed on a rear end part of a surface plate in a conveying direction of the panel in order to wash and remove the portion of the foreign substances removed from the surface of the panel that has accumulated on an inner surface of the endless belt. Accordingly, the foreign substances accumulated on the endless belt for conveying the panel are washed away and removed, and can be discharged to an exterior of the washing machine.

Abstract: A combined wet etching method for stacked films which is capable of performing etching processes in a collective manner while controlling an amount of side-etching on each of stacked films and of making uniform side edges. In the wet etching method, two or more types of etching methods are performed in combination, on stacked films containing first and second films being deposited sequentially on a substrate and each having a different film property. The two or more types of wet etching methods include, at least, a first wet etching method in which side-etching on the first film is facilitated more than side-etching on the second film and a second wet etching method in which side-etching on the second film is facilitated more than side-etching on the first film.

Abstract: A lateral electric field type liquid crystal display device prevents the generation of the reverse rotation domain when the reverse-rotation domain preventing structure using the floating electrodes is adopted. A first liquid-crystal driving electrode (e.g., pixel electrode) and a second liquid-crystal driving electrode (e.g., common electrode) comprise comb-tooth-like parts extending approximately parallel to each other and being meshed with each other, respectively, in a region where images are displayed by applying a liquid-crystal driving electric field to liquid crystal. An electrically isolated first floating electrode is provided in the vicinity of the top end of the comb-tooth-like part of the first liquid-crystal driving electrode, where the first floating electrode comprises an overlapped part which is overlapped with the top end by way of an insulating film.

Abstract: By using a photosensitive organic film, an uneven layer for forming a reflective electrode of a reflective region of a transflective liquid crystal display device and a protrusion for multi-division alignment of liquid crystals are concurrently formed. The heights of the uneven layer and of the protrusion are adjusted by using accumulated amounts of light to which the photosensitive organic film is exposed. The uneven layer can be used as an adjusting layer for adjusting the thickness of a liquid crystal layer.

Abstract: A laser irradiation process includes: scanning a substrate with laser having a predetermined lasing frequency at different irradiation intensities to form a plurality of first irradiation areas corresponding to the irradiation intensities; illuminating the first irradiation areas to reflected light receive from the fist irradiation areas; determining microcrystallization intensity based on the received reflected light; and determining irradiation intensity based on the thus determined microcrystallization intensity. The laser irradiation process uses the irradiation intensity for irradiating a polycrystalline film in a product semiconductor device.

Abstract: In a flat display panel having a panel and a flexible board connected and fixed to each other through an anisotropic conductive film, a surface end of a solder resist formed on the flexible board is located to face a surface end of an insulating film layer formed on the panel. Conductive particles contained in the anisotropic conductive film flowing out during a compression bonding process aggregate in a non-connection region due to the thickness of the insulating resin layer. This makes it possible to substantially completely prevent the short-circuit problem due to the aggregation of the conductive particles.

Abstract: A photosensor section is disposed in a vicinity of the center of a shorter side of an LED panel including plural arrays of LED units in each of which plural LEDs are arranged. A gain of the photosensor section is adjusted on the basis of gain correction information set in advance according to the position of each LED unit. Thereby, the calibration of the photosensor section is performed. While the photosensor section, which has been adjusted in this manner, sequentially detects the amounts of light from the LED units, a backlight unit emits backlight toward a liquid crystal display panel.

Abstract: In a liquid crystal display panel using spherical spacers, plural recessed parts are formed on at least one of inner surfaces of a pair of substrates. The recessed parts are located on light-shielding areas of the panel. In particular, plural kinds of spherical spacers having different diameters are disposed on the recessed parts, or plural kinds of recessed parts having different depths are formed on the inner surface of the substrates.