Abstract: A thin film transistor (TFT) substrate includes first and second TFTs on the same substrate. The first TFT has a feature that a lower conductive layer or a bottom gate electrode layer is provided between the substrate and a first insulating layer while an upper conductive layer or a top gate electrode layer is disposed on a second insulating layer formed on a semiconductor layer which is formed on the first insulating layer. The first conductive layer has first and second areas such that the first area overlaps with the first conductive layer without overlapping with the semiconductor layer while the second area overlaps with the semiconductor layer, and the first area is larger than the second area while the second insulating layer is thinner than the first insulating layer. The second TFT has the same configuration as the first TFT except that the gate electrode layer is eliminated.

Abstract: In applying an alignment material to surfaces of a CF substrate and a TFT substrate, which form a liquid crystal panel, to form alignment films, an alignment film is formed so as to cover at least a display region in which pixels are arranged in a matrix fashion, while a porous alignment film, which has a porous film structure with a higher impurity adsorptive property than the former alignment film, is formed in a region outside the former alignment film, for example, in a region intermediate the display region and a seal region surrounded by a sealing material, whereby the porous alignment film formed in the region outside the display region can efficiently adsorb contaminants, such as residual impurity ions produced from the sealing material and uncured components of the sealing material, to prevent the contaminants from penetrating into the display region and being fixed therein.

Abstract: A lateral electric field type LCD device makes it possible to increase the degree of freedom in designing the constituent elements thereof and to improve the aperture ratio easily compared with the related-art LCD structure. The drain bus lines are entirely covered with the at least one first liquid crystal driving electrode (e.g., the common electrode). The gate bus line corresponding to each pixel region is covered with the at least one first liquid crystal driving electrode except for a predetermined non-overlapped area existing in a part that does not overlap with the corresponding TFT. The predetermined non-overlapped area of the gate bus line corresponding to each pixel region is covered with the storage capacitor electrode corresponding to the adjacent pixel region. Preferably, the at least one first liquid crystal driving electrode comprises openings that expose the channel regions of the TFTs, respectively.

Abstract: A transflective LCD includes a LC layer sandwiched between a pair of substrates, and a pair of polarizing films. The LCD device includes a reflection area and a transmission area in each pixel, the transmission area having a reflection film. A retardation film has a first portion in the refection area between the reflection film and the LC layer, and a second portion in the transmission area between the LC layer and the rear polarizing film. The retardation film has a slow axis perpendicular to an initial orientation direction of the LC molecules upon absence of an applied voltage and perpendicular or parallel to the optical axis of the front polarizing film. The orientation of the LC molecules upon display of a dark state has a direction different between the reflection area and the transmission area.

Abstract: Within a reflective display section R, a part of a light that reaches a reflective electrode through a color filter exits to the outside through slits and a part of a light that reaches the reflective electrode through the slits exits to the outside through the color filter. In addition, a light reaching the reflective electrode through the color filter and exiting to the outside through the color filter, and a light having no opportunity to pass through the slits also can be observed. Therefore, a mean film thickness of color filter through which all lights pass during the time in which they travel the associated distance after they are inputted to the inside until they are outputted to the outside becomes nearly equal to that could be observed in the transmissive section T.

Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a supporting substrate; a semiconductor film on the supporting substrate; a gate insulating film on the semiconductor film; a gate electrode on the gate insulating film; and a source region and a drain region formed by introducing impurity elements to the semiconductor film. The thickness of the semiconductor film is within the range of 20 nm to 40 nm. Low-concentration regions are provided between the source region and a channel forming region, and between the drain region and the channel forming region, respectively. The low-concentration regions each have an impurity concentration smaller than that of the source region and that of the drain region, and the impurity concentration in a lower surface side region on the side of the supporting substrate is smaller than that of an upper surface side region on the opposite side.

Abstract: In an image display device including: an electrophoretic display element having a memory property and a display/update controlling unit which outputs the first control signal and the data signal to the data line driving circuit, and the second control signal to the scanning line driving circuit, based on given image data, during the image updating period of time, and cuts off power supply to the data line driving circuit and the scanning line driving circuit, during an image holding period of time, the display/update controlling unit, during the image updating period of time, inputs sequentially a plurality of pieces of compressed image block data having a data configuration which one screen of the image data is divided into a plurality of blocks, and compressed for each block, expands the compressed image block data of a preceding screen and the compressed image block data of a corresponding updating screen sequentially inputted, and outputs the data signal for screen update to the data line driving circuit,

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: In a liquid crystal panel, a reflective pixel electrode and a transmissive pixel electrode in a unit pixel are supplied with an image signal output from a data line drive circuit, the two mutually different scanning signals output from a scanning line drive circuit, and common signals output from a common line drive circuit. The phase of the image signal is set different from that of the common signal. Further, a period during which the two scanning signals are selected is set in one horizontal period, the ending of the selection period for one of the scanning signals is set to a point in time before an electrical potential of the common signal changes, and the ending of the selection period for the other scanning signal is set to a point in time after the electrical potential of the common signal changes.

Abstract: A LCD device has a LC layer sandwiched between a TFT substrate and a counter substrate, first and second polarizing films, a first ?/2 film between the first polarizing film and the counter substrate, and a second ?/2 film between the second polarizing film and the TFT substrate. Angle ?1 between the direction of the optical axis of the LC layer and the polarized direction of the light entering the LC layer satisfies the relationship: 0 degree<?1<45 degrees. The resultant LCD device has lower leakage light and coloring.

Abstract: A lenticular lens is provided in front of a liquid crystal panel composed of a plurality of pixels. In this case, the lenticular lens is arranged so that one cylindrical lens corresponds to two pixels adjacent to each other. Then, light rays outgoing from two pixels are refracted by this one cylindrical lens and intersect with each other at a point positioned on the surface of a tablet, and then reach the right eye and the left eye of a user, respectively.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display element includes a liquid crystal composition sandwiched between substrates, wherein at least two types of liquid crystal compositions which exhibit liquid crystal phase in different temperature ranges are contained within each one pixel, and each of the at least two types of liquid crystal compositions is sealed and isolated within each pixel.

Abstract: A method for forming an organic mask, includes: permeating an organic solvent into an organic pattern formed on a base film and containing at least one kind of organic material, by contacting the organic pattern with the organic solvent; and thereby, partially or entirely decreasing original adhesion strength between the base film and the organic pattern. A heat treatment may be conducted after contacting to adjust the adhesion strength. Using the organic pattern as a mask, isotropic etching is conducted. As a result, a desired taper angle of the etched base film can be achieved with high accuracy. The taper angle of the etched base film is adjustable by controlling the adhesion strength through the heat treatment.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal panel, a backlight, a frame having flexibility which includes a base portion and a side portion, and a case which is attached on a side opposite to the display surface side of the frame and engages with the frame, wherein a claw portion which is provided on an inner surface of the side portion of the frame and projected toward a liquid crystal panel and, a protruding portion which pushes the claw portion toward the liquid crystal panel is provided on at least one of the inner surface of the side portion of the case and an outer surface of the side portion of the frame, and the claw portion which is contact with the display surface of the liquid crystal panel in a state in which the claw portion is pressed by the protruding portion.

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 thin-film transistor array includes an electrically insulating substrate, a plurality of thin-film transistors arranged in a matrix on the substrate, and each including a channel, a source, and a drain each comprised of an oxide-semiconductor film, a pixel electrode integrally formed with the drain, a source signal line through which a source signal is transmitted to a group of thin-film transistors, a gate signal line through which a gate signal is transmitted to a group of thin-film transistors, a source terminal formed at an end of the source signal line, and a gate terminal formed at an end of the gate signal line. The source terminal and the gate terminal are formed in the same layer as a layer in which the channel is formed. The source terminal and the gate terminal have the same electric conductivity as that of the pixel electrode.

Abstract: The invention provides a production method for an active matrix substrate in which a plurality of contact holes are formed by a one-mask process so as to reach metal films which are present at different depth positions in an insulating layer and are not evaporated by dry etching using a fluorine-containing gas. The method includes a step of performing dry etching using mixed gas of CHF3, CF4 and O2 to form the plurality of contact hole, a step of subjecting the plurality of contact holes to oxygen ashing, and a step of forming a transparent conductive film in the plurality of contact holes.

Abstract: A device is disclosed for generating pattern data for unevenness that is randomly arranged on the surface of the reflective substrate of a reflective liquid crystal display device. The number of coordinates, a basic pitch, a movable range, and a dot diameter are entered from a data entry unit. An array generation unit regularly arranges base coordinates in two dimensions in accordance with the basic pitch. Coordinate displacement unit randomly displaces within the movable range at a portion of the basic coordinates to generate a multiplicity of displaced coordinates. Pattern generation unit arranges dot patterns with the dot diameter entered at each of the displaced coordinates generated to generate pattern data.

Abstract: A spherical spacer is used as a spacer member defining a gap, and is fixed to a color filter substrate. A concave portion coming in contact with a part of the spherical spacer is formed in a position in a TFT substrate, the position being opposite to the spherical spacer. The substrates are bonded with each other by engaging the spherical spacer and the concave portion with each other.

Abstract: A layer-stacked wiring made up of a microcrystalline silicon thin film and a metal thin film is provided which is capable of suppressing an excessive silicide formation reaction between the microcrystalline silicon thin film and metal thin film, thereby preventing peeling of the thin film. In a polycrystalline silicon TFT (Thin Film Transistor) using the layer-stacked wiring, the microcrystalline silicon thin film is so configured that its crystal grains each having a length of the microcrystalline silicon thin film in a direction of a film thickness being 60% or more of a film thickness of the microcrystalline silicon thin film amount to 15% or less of total number of crystal grains or that its crystal grains each having a length of the microcrystalline silicon thin film in a direction of a film thickness being 50% or less of a film thickness of the microcrystalline silicon thin film amount to 85% or more of the total number of crystal grains making up the microcrystalline silicon thin film.