Abstract: A touchscreen (126) for assembly onto a liquid crystal display module (119) in a wireless communication device (103). The touchscreen is comprised of a front laminant pet film (127), a chemically strengthened glass panel (129), an optically clear acrylic adhesive (131) and a rear laminant pet film (133). The rear laminant pet film (133) greatly increases the strength and durability of the touchscreen (126) and eliminates the need for a protective lens over the display module of the wireless communication device (103).

Abstract: A device featuring liquid crystals for local reduction of the intensity of incident light is described. This device protects the eyes or the video camera against blinding, or the light-sensitive medium against local damage by automatically reducing the intensity of the incident light emitted by brightly illuminated objects, while the brightness of poorly illuminated objects is not suppressed. The device uses optically addressed spatial light modulators (OASLM) on the basis of a semitransparent photoconducting film in contact with ferroelectric liquid crystals (FLC). The DHF effect (deformation of the helix structure) in ferroelectric liquid crystals (FLC) with helix-shaped structure is used here. The drive voltage has a frequency of 10.sup.2 to 10.sup.3 Hz at an amplitude of .+-.20 V, which is 10-50 times higher than that of devices operating with nematic liquid crystals. The device allows moving objects to be observed against the background of a bright light source (sun, lamp, etc.).

Abstract: According to a liquid crystal panel of the present invention, the focal length of micro-lenses is set to be longer than the distance between the micro-lens array and the first substrate, while light collected by each micro-lens is arranged to focus inside the first substrate. Thus, the divergence angle after focusing can be reduced. Therefore, the maximum light-emerging angle from the LCD panel can be reduced, and eclipse of the light which causes chrominance or luminance non-uniformity does not occur even when a lens having a high F number is used as a projection lens.

Abstract: There is disclosed a contact structure for electrically connecting conducting lines formed on a first substrate of an electrooptical device such as a liquid crystal display with conducting lines formed on a second substrate via conducting spacers while assuring a uniform cell gap among different cells if the interlayer dielectric film thickness is nonuniform across the cell or among different cells. A first conducting film and a dielectric film are deposited on the first substrate. Openings are formed in the dielectric film. A second conducting film covers the dielectric film left and the openings. The conducting spacers electrically connect the second conducting film over the first substrate with a third conducting film on the second substrate. The cell gap depends only on the size of the spacers, which maintain the cell gap.

Abstract: An active matrix liquid crystal display (AMLCD) with a high aperture ratio and with an etch stopper formed by a back exposure method, and not with an additional pattern mask. The AMLCD has a gate line that extends in a first direction on the substrate and has a first region that corresponds to the gate electrode region. The gate line also has a second region corresponding to a non-gate electrode region and a contact hole adjacent to the first region and the second region. A thin film transistor (TFT) of the AMLCD is formed with a nonlinear channel region.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing liquid crystal on silicon devices uses asymmetric placement of scribes on silicon and glass substrate layers to maximize the yield of processed active matrix silicon wafers. Asymmetrical scribing minimizes a dimension from a gasket seal between the substrates to a lower bond pad edge. An opposite glass overhang provides an interconnect redundancy for an ITO plate or a repair site for electrical contact to the ITO plate. Methods of device separation employing partial sawing are also employed.

Abstract: A liquid crystal cell is described which includes adaptive means to relieve hydrostatic pressure and means for restraining the aperture portion of the cell, and which may be assembled together with thick members such as precision windows, or may be built into optical assemblies incorporating several cells placed optically in series, such as tunable filters or multiple-cell optical switches, without defeating the pressure-relief mechanism.

Abstract: Reflective spatial light modulators (RSLMs) and projection apparatus employing such RSLMs are disclosed. The RSLM comprises a reflective surface and a superposed light-modulation layer. The reflective surface is configured to have a reflective diffraction optical element or a microfaceted reflective array. Incident light impinging on the RSLM can pass through the light-modulation layer, reflect from the reflective surface, and return through the light-modulation layer to become modulated signal light capable of forming a viewable image if projected onto a screen or other surface. The reflective diffraction optical element or microfaceted reflective array on the reflective surface is operable to cause the signal light to propagate from the RSLM in a different direction than any ghost light reflected from the RSLM.

Abstract: A thin film of ferroelectric layered superlattice material in a flat panel display device is energized to selectively influence the display image. In one embodiment, a voltage pulse causes the layered superlattice material to emit electrons that impinge upon a phosphor, causing the phosphor to emit light. In another embodiment, an electric potential creates a remanent polarization in the layered superlattice material, which exerts an electric field in liquid crystal layer, thereby influencing the transmissivity of light through the liquid crystal. The layered superlattice material is a metal oxide formed using a special liquid precursor containing an alkoxycarboxylate. The thin film of layered superlattice material is formed using a spin-on technique and low-temperature heat treating. The thin film thickness is preferably in the range 500-1400 .ANG. so that polarizability and transparency of the thin film is enhanced.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes a hologram layer having predetermined patterns corresponding to patterns of a color filter. Light inputted to the LCD device is transmitted through the hologram layer when reflected by a reflection layer out of the LCD device. Efficiency of use of the light reflected from the hologram layer is maximized so that quality of an image is improved.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display device having improved and broadened viewing angle characteristics. The device includes a liquid crystal cell of the twisted nematic type for driving sandwiched by a pair of upper and lower polarizing plates in which at least one compensating film is inserted between the liquid crystal cell and the upper polarizing plate or between the liquid crystal cell and the lower polarizing plate. Alternatively, two compensating films are respectively inserted between the liquid crystal cell and the upper polarizing plate and between the liquid crystal cell and the lower polarizing plate. The compensating film consists essentially of a liquid crystalline polymer showing optically a positive uniaxiality, the liquid crystalline polymer being fixed in a nematic hybrid orientational order.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display having a circuit to protect against static electricity makes passages in which static electricity can flow, by connecting diodes between a plurality of data lines, gate lines and a plurality of shorting lines in the same or opposite direction as current flow. Accordingly, the circuit protects a liquid crystal display from static electricity. A testing method of display quality checks whether the data lines and the gate lines are shorted or not by applying signals to the gate lines and the data lines through shorting lines and making mutually inverted output voltages appear in contiguous pixels.

Abstract: The invention relates to a reflective flat-panel display device (1) comprising a display panel (3) which is suitable for modulating an illumination beam with image information. The display panel (3) comprises a diffusing liquid crystalline material (5) and a first and a second substrate (7, 9) enclosing the liquid crystalline material (5) and reflecting means which reflect light incident at an angle which is larger than a given angle of incidence .theta..sub.c. The device further includes an absorbing element (10) which absorbs light passed by the reflecting means.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display thin film transistor array includes gate bus lines, drain bus lines electrically isolated from the gate bus lines by a first insulating film, a thin film transistor arranged near the intersection of the gate bus line and the drain bus line, and a pixel electrode made of a transparent conductive film. The thin film transistor includes a gate electrode, a drain electrode, and a source electrode. The pixel electrode is electrically isolated from the drain electrode and the drain bus line by a second insulating film. A contact hole for electrically connecting to the drain bus line is formed in the second insulating film stacked on the drain bus line in a region including the intersection of the gate bus line and the drain bus line. An interconnection redundant film made of the same transparent conductive film as the pixel electrode is formed on the second insulating film so as to cover the contact hole. A method of fabricating this array is also disclosed.

Abstract: A method for forming walls (8) between substrates (11, 12) in a liquid crystal cell (10) includes the step of forming a cell with a liquid crystal-monomer mixture (50). The cell (10) is then exposed to ultraviolet light (70) causing the monomer to be selectively polymerized to form walls (8) between substrates (11, 12) of the cell. The monomer is selectively polymerized by applying an electric field across the cell through a patterned conductive coating (31, 32) on each substrate (11, 12) to separate the dispersed monomer to the low field, interpixel regions (72). The cell (10) is then exposed to ultraviolet light (70) to polymerize the separated monomer to form the walls (8) in the low field regions (72).

Abstract: A reflective guest-host liquid-crystal display includes: a pair of upper and lower substrates joined together with a predetermined space therebetween; and a guest-host liquid-crystal layer which is held within the space and contains a dichroic dye. The upper substrate is provided with at least a counter electrode. At least thin-film transistors (TFTs), a reflective layer, a .lambda./4 phase shifter (quarter-wavelength plate), and pixel electrodes are formed on the lower substrate. The .lambda./4 phase shifter is formed above the TFTs and the reflective layer, and has contact holes connecting to the drain electrodes of the TFTs. The pixel electrodes are patterned on the .lambda./4 phase shifter and connected to the corresponding drain electrodes of the TFTs through the corresponding contact holes.

Abstract: A cholesteric liquid crystal display device with improved display images is provided. The device includes a transparent front plate (16) with a front conductive film (18) spaced apart from a back conductive film (22) by a gap filled with cholesteric liquid crystal material (24) which can be switched between a transparent state and a reflective state through application of an electric field. The front conductive film (18) is coated with an opaque mask which defines openings (36) for transmitting light. In the reflective state, ambient light entering the device (10) is reflected by the cholesteric liquid crystal (24) through openings (36) in the opaque mask (12) to form a bright image. In the transparent state, ambient light entering the device (10) passes through the cholesteric liquid crystal (24), front film (18) and back film (22) and is substantially absorbed by an underlying opaque layer (14) which is preferably color-matched to the internal mask (12) to form an single color, image-free display area.

Abstract: Methods of forming thin-film transistor liquid crystal display devices include the steps of forming a semiconductor active layer on a face of a transparent substrate and then forming a gate electrode insulating layer on the semiconductor active layer. The gate electrode insulating layer is then patterned to expose a first portion of the semiconductor active layer. A gate electrode is also formed on the gate electrode insulating layer, opposite the semiconductor active layer. In addition, a pixel electrode is formed to be electrically coupled to the exposed first portion of the semiconductor active layer. Preferably, the steps of forming the gate electrode and pixel electrode are performed simultaneously by forming a transparent conductive layer on the patterned gate electrode insulating layer and then patterning the transparent conductive layer to define a transparent gate electrode and a transparent pixel electrode.

Abstract: Liquid crystal display (LCD) panels include an array of active regions that include a plurality of stacked patterned layers, and alignment keys in the active regions for use in aligning the stacked patterned layers. The stacked patterned layers are preferably formed using a plurality of exposure shots, and the alignment keys are preferably located at the center of the exposure shots or are symmetrically located with respect to the center of the exposure shots. The array of active regions preferably includes an array of pixels and the alignment keys are in the array of pixels. In a preferred embodiment, the array of pixels include red, blue and green pixels and the alignment keys are in the red pixels. In another preferred embodiment, the alignment keys are located in a semitransparent layer or a transparent layer in the stacked patterned layers. For example, one of the stacked patterned layers is an amorphous silicon layer and the alignment keys are included in the stacked amorphous layer.

Abstract: An array structure for preventing an open ITO defect includes an amorphous silicon layer, and a high-doped amorphous silicon layer formed above the amorphous silicon layer, and a drain electrode formed above the doped amorphous silicon layer, completely enclosing the amorphous silicon layer and the doped amorphous silicon layer.