Abstract: A thin-film transistor includes a gate layer, a gate insulting layer, a semiconductor layer, a drain layer, a passivation layer (each of which being formed on or over an insulating substrate), and a conductive layer formed on the passivation layer. The conductive layer is connected to the gate layer or the drain layer by way of a contact hole penetrating at least the passivation layer. The passivation layer has a multiple-layer structure comprising at least a first sublayer and a second sublayer stacked, the first sublayer having a lower etch rate than that of the second sublayer. The first sublayer is disposed closer to the substrate than the second sublayer. The second sublayer has a thickness equal to or less than that of the conductive layer. The shape or configuration of the passivation layer and the underlying gate insulating layer can be well controlled in the etching process, and the conductive layer formed on the passivation layer is prevented from being divided.

Abstract: Disclosed is an active matrix substrate which includes a display area and a terminal area located outside the display area. The terminal area includes extraction wirings connected with signal lines and scanning lines of the display area. A testing terminal for making contact with a probe of a prober and a connection terminal on which a chip is mounted are provided on each of the extraction wirings. The terminals are connected with the extraction wirings through contact holes. Even when an area of the testing terminal is larger than an area of the connection terminal, an opening area of a second contact hole for the testing terminal is reduced to an area smaller than an opening area of a first contact hole for the connection terminal.

Abstract: A LCD device prevents corrosion of the transparent conductive layers and contact resistance increase without arising the step coverage degradation due to the thickness increase of the interconnection layer, the step coverage degradation due to the formation of undercut portions, and productivity reduction and fabrication cost increase. A first interconnection line comprising a patterned Al or Al alloy layer is disposed on or over an insulating plate. A first insulating layer is formed to cover the first interconnection line to have a contact hole exposing a part of the first interconnection line. A first conductive material made of a plated metal is in contact with the exposed part of the first interconnection line in the contact hole. A first transparent conductive layer is in contact with the first conductive material. The first transparent conductive layer is electrically connected to the first interconnection line by way of the first conductive material.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes (a) a first substrate, (b) a second substrate spaced away from and facing the first substrate, (c) a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the first and second substrates, (d) a transistor formed on the first substrate, (e) a wiring layer formed on the first substrate and electrically connected to the transistor, (f) a reflection electrode formed on the first substrate, an external incident light being reflected at the reflection electrode towards a viewer, and (g) a compensation layer formed directly on the wiring layer. The reflection electrode does not cover the wiring layer therewith, and the compensation layer has almost the same height as a height of the reflection electrode, the height being measured from a surface of the first substrate.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display device which divides a pixel into a plurality of sub-pixels. In the liquid crystal display device, a gradation and a brightness in each of the sub-pixels have a non-linear relation to each other, and a desired brightness for the pixel is selected by selecting a gradation in each of the sub-pixels.

Abstract: In a liquid crystal display controller, a digital image input signal is input to the controller for data-processing and output to a liquid crystal driver which drives a liquid crystal panel which can be normally white or normally black. The liquid crystal display controller comprises an inverter for inverting the digital image input signal, a selector for choosing and outputting the signal inverted by the inverter and the digital image input signal depending on a switching signal, and a data processor for controlling the voltage luminance (VT) of the signal transmitted by the selector and transmitting the signal to the liquid crystal driver.

Abstract: A housing member accommodates a liquid crystal display panel and a lighting unit. The housing member is provided with a penetrated space for receiving a light-source unit in the lighting unit therein. A pair of fastening members are attached to a pair of openings of the space, respectively, for supporting the light-source unit within the space such that each of the fastening members allows to insert the light-source unit into the space from either one of the pair of the openings.

Abstract: An electrically conductive film is placed between a contact finger and an electrically conductive polarizing plate which hold a display panel therebetween, and static electricity accumulated in the display panel is released to a front frame through the electrically conductive film and the finger. This structure makes it possible to prevent deterioration in the display quality of a display device due to static electricity.

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.

Abstract: A semiconductor film, which is located over a gate electrode for forming a channel region between a source electrode and a drain electrode, has a width greater than a width of the source electrode and a width of the drain electrode located over the gate electrode. Irregularities are formed in a width direction of the semiconductor film on both edge portions in the channel region.

Abstract: An alignment mark is provided on the surface of a transparent substrate in a CF substrate. An L-shaped pattern whose height is greater than that of the alignment mark is provided in a position that is at a distance upstream in the rubbing direction as viewed from the alignment mark. The trapping pattern is formed by the layering of a lower layer BM and an upper layer B. The lower layer BM of the alignment mark and the trapping pattern is formed from the same material and in the same step as the black matrix. The upper layer B of the trapping pattern is formed from the same material and in the same step as the blue color filter. Debris from the alignment layer can thereby be prevented from accumulating in the region adjacent to the alignment mark when a rubbing treatment is performed on the alignment layer.

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.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes an array substrate having a plurality of first seal frames each forming a panel area to become a display portion and a second seal frame containing these seal frames thereinside and being of a completely closed shape as a whole outside these first seal frames. The liquid crystal display device of the invention has a structure in which the whole inside of the second seal frame including the insides of the first seal frames of the array substrate is filled with liquid crystal by a liquid crystal dripping method and thereafter the color filter substrate is stuck on the array substrate. This display makes it possible to manufacture a liquid crystal display device of an aggregate liquid crystal display panel structure improved in uniformity of gap between both substrates.

Abstract: Disclosed is a backlight unit which illuminates a display panel from a rear surface thereof, including at least: tubular lamps arranged in parallel to the panel; and a reflecting member which reflects light from the lamps toward the panel, wherein the reflecting member is divided into a first region opposed to an area near an electrode provided in an end portion of the lamp and a second region nearer to a middle area than the first region, the first region having a higher reflectance than the second region. In another backlight unit, a reflecting member is divided, with respect to the arrangement direction of the lamps, into an end lamp near region which is opposed to a lamp arranged in end portion and a middle region which is nearer to a middle area than the end lamp region, the end lamp region having a higher reflectance than the middle region.

Abstract: A liquid crystal monitor incorporating therein a liquid crystal module having a direct backlight is configured to have receiving portions in a reflector 8 of the direct backlight that constitutes a liquid crystal module 13, in order to attach together the liquid crystal module 13 and a liquid crystal monitor member 12. The receiving portions are constituted by reflector extensions 111 that are formed by extending a bottom face of the reflector 8 toward a space between an inclined face of the reflector and an upper frame 2 of the liquid crystal module 13. Then, the liquid crystal monitor member 12 is fixed to the reflector extensions 111 by screws 407. Thus, the use of a space near the inclined face of the reflector allows a liquid crystal monitor to be thinned and reduced in its size and the width of monitor frame.

Abstract: A cold cathode tube lighting device is provided which is capable of achieving stable luminance when driven by applying driving pulses to input terminals on both sides of each of two or more cold cathode tubes. Each of currents flowing through coils in each of coil units on both sides of each of two or more cold cathode tubes is detected by voltage detecting sections and a tube current flowing through each of the cold cathode tubes based on a value obtained by adding each of the currents using an adder and a duty ratio of each of driving pulses is controlled so that the tube current becomes a specified current value to keep the luminance of the cold cathode tubes constant.

Abstract: An elastic member (3b) is fixed to a space between a front surface of an intermediate frame (4a) and a rear surface of a liquid crystal panel (2) constituting a liquid crystal display module (12), or a space between a rear surface of an upper frame (1) and the rear surface of the liquid crystal panel (2) constituting the liquid crystal display module (12). Alternatively, the elastic members (3b) are fixed to both of the spaces. A peak portion (14a) of the elastic member (3b) is formed to possess a flexible structure. The liquid crystal display module is configured to hermetically seal the space between a back light (11a) and the liquid crystal panel (2), the space between the upper frame (1) and the liquid crystal panel (2), or both of the spaces.

Abstract: A display apparatus includes a display panel displaying an image thereon, a cover panel arranged facing the display panel across an air layer, and an electro-conductive material opening electrically and arranged on a surface of one of the display panel and the cover panel faced with the air layer.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal cell, first and second polarizers disposed outside the liquid crystal cell, first and second retardation plates arranged between the first and second polarizers, and the liquid crystal cell, and optical layers arranged between the first and second retardation plates and the liquid crystal cell. The first and second retardation plates have lagging axes perpendicular with each other. The first polarizer has an absorption axis inclining by about 45 degrees relative to the lagging axis of the first retardation plate, and inclining by about 90 degrees relative to an absorption axis of the second polarizer. The absorption axes of the first and second polarizers are angularly deviated such that characteristic of a viewing angle in the liquid crystal display device is rendered symmetric, relative to a symmetry axis about which liquid crystal is aligned in different directions.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display panel device has a backlight unit for illuminating the reverse surface of a liquid crystal display panel, and the backlight unit includes a diffusion plate, a diffusion sheet adhered to one of the major surfaces of the diffusion plate, a lamp house and a moisture-proof sheet inserted between the other surface of the diffusion plate and the lamp house; the moisture-proof sheet prevents the diffusion plate from vaporization of water contained in the diffusion plate, and the diffusion plate is not warped; the diffusion plate maintains the initial shape immediately after the assemblage into the backlight unit so that the liquid crystal display panel is continuously uniformly illuminated by the backlight unit.