Patents by Inventor Hironori Kikkawa
Hironori Kikkawa has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 7215394Abstract: A reflection-type liquid crystal display according to the invention includes two glass substrates, a transparent electrode provided on one glass substrate, an insulator film which is provided on another glass substrate and on which an uneven structure is formed, a reflecting electrode provided on the insulator film, and a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between a side of the transparent electrode and a side of the reflecting electrode. The insulator film includes a first insulating layer in which a large number of depressions isolated as surrounded by protrusions are irregularly arranged and a second insulating layer covering the insulating layer entirely. The protrusions are all connected in a network, so that if some of these protrusions have weaker adherence with an underlying layer, they can be supported by the surrounding protrusions.Type: GrantFiled: April 26, 2004Date of Patent: May 8, 2007Assignees: NEC Corporation, NEC LCD Technologies, Ltd.Inventors: Hiroshi Kanou, Yuichi Yamaguchi, Teruaki Suzuki, Hironori Kikkawa
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Publication number: 20070082436Abstract: 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.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 11, 2006Publication date: April 12, 2007Applicant: NEC LCD TECHNOLOGIES, LTD.Inventors: Yuichi Yamaguchi, Hironori Kikkawa, Hiroshi Kanoh, Teruaki Suzuki, Hidenori Ikeno
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Publication number: 20070070271Abstract: A reflection-type liquid crystal display according to the invention includes two glass substrates, a transparent electrode provided on one glass substrate, an insulator film which is provided on another glass substrate and on which an uneven structure is formed, a reflecting electrode provided on the insulator film, and a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between a side of the transparent electrode and a side of the reflecting electrode. The insulator film includes a first insulating layer in which a large number of depressions isolated as surrounded by protrusions are irregularly arranged and a second insulating layer covering the insulating layer entirely. The protrusions are all connected in a network, so that if some of these protrusions have weaker adherence with an underlying layer, they can be supported by the surrounding protrusions.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 29, 2006Publication date: March 29, 2007Inventors: Hiroshi Kanou, Yuichi Yamaguchi, Teruaki Suzuki, Hironori Kikkawa
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Patent number: 7196755Abstract: 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.Type: GrantFiled: September 4, 2003Date of Patent: March 27, 2007Assignee: NEC LCD Technologies, Ltd.Inventors: Michiaki Sakamoto, Yuichi Yamaguchi, Hidenori Ikeno, Fumihiko Matsuno, Hironori Kikkawa
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Patent number: 7193679Abstract: 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.Type: GrantFiled: September 9, 2003Date of Patent: March 20, 2007Assignee: NEC LCD Technologies, Ltd.Inventors: Michiaki Sakamoto, Hironori Kikkawa, Naohito Toyomaki
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Publication number: 20060250549Abstract: The present invention provides a reflective liquid crystal display (LCD) apparatus including a glass substrate 53, a transparent electrode 55 arranged on the glass substrate, a glass substrate 40, a thin film transistor (TFT) 44 arranged on the glass substrate 40, an insulation film 45 arranged on the TFT 44 and having a convex/concave structure 45a on its surface, a reflection electrode 48 arranged along the convex/concave structure 45a and connected to the TFT 44, and a liquid crystal layer 56 sandwiched between the transparent electrode 55 and the reflection electrode 48. The insulation film 48 protects the TFT transistor 44 after being formed and has the convex/concave structure 45a formed irregular arrangement of regions having different film thickness values. Thus, it is possible to prevent deterioration of the switching element during the production as well as to reduce the number of production steps.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 10, 2006Publication date: November 9, 2006Inventors: Hiroshi Kanou, Yuichi Yamaguchi, Hironori Kikkawa
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Patent number: 7110070Abstract: In order to improve processing steps of fabricating an active-matrix addressed reflective liquid crystal display, a lower substrate, which is positioned at one side with respect to a liquid crystal layer, is provided with two electrodes in parallel with each other and in parallel with the liquid crystal layer. One of the two electrodes is electrically coupled to a source electrode of a switching element assigned to one pixel, and the other electrode is electrically couple to a constant potential source. Each of the two electrodes has characteristics of light reflectivity, which is able to reduce the intensity of exposing light when an insulating layer provided above the electrodes is patterned.Type: GrantFiled: December 21, 2004Date of Patent: September 19, 2006Assignees: NEC Corporation, NEC LCD Technologies, Ltd.Inventors: Michiaki Sakamoto, Yuichi Yamaguchi, Hidenori Ikeno, Fumihiko Matsuno, Hironori Kikkawa
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Patent number: 7092051Abstract: 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.Type: GrantFiled: February 28, 2002Date of Patent: August 15, 2006Assignee: NEC LCD Technologies, Ltd.Inventors: Michiaki Sakamoto, Yuichi Yamaguchi, Hidenori Ikeno, Fumihiko Matsuno, Hironori Kikkawa
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Patent number: 7046321Abstract: In order to realize the manufacture of a reflection type liquid crystal display in the same manufacture processes as those of a transmission type liquid crystal display, a photolithography mask capable of forming both a gate electrode 22 and a reflective layer 23, and a photolithography mask capable of forming only the gate electrode 22 are prepared, and by using either one of the masks, the reflection type liquid crystal display in which both the gate electrode 22 and the reflective layer 23 are formed on a transparent insulation substrate 21, and the transmission type liquid crystal display in which only the gate electrode 22 is formed are selectively manufactured.Type: GrantFiled: March 9, 2005Date of Patent: May 16, 2006Assignee: NEC LCD Technologies, Ltd.Inventors: Hironori Kikkawa, Michiaki Sakamoto
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Patent number: 7042539Abstract: A reflection plate is formed so as to have a wavy surface, and to have uneven distribution of normal line directions of the surface in terms of a specific azimuth angle. The wavy surface is formed due to line-shaped protruding patterns and an insulation film layer. The protruding patterns intersect with one another to form concave portions each having a shape of a closed figure. The protruding patterns are formed by patterning such that they have almost uniform thickness.Type: GrantFiled: August 18, 2004Date of Patent: May 9, 2006Assignee: NEC LCD Technologies, Ltd.Inventors: Michiaki Sakamoto, Yuichi Yamaguchi, Hidenori Ikeno, Takahiko Watanabe, Hironori Kikkawa, Fumihiko Matuno
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Patent number: 7026100Abstract: An active matrix substrate forms a liquid crystal display panel together with a counter substrate and liquid crystal filling a gap therebetween, and color filters are covered with an overcoat layer of photo-sensitive acrylic resin, wherein column spacers of the photo-sensitive acrylic resin project from the overcoat layer so that the column spacers are hardly separated from the overcoat layer in a rubbing for producing an orientation layer.Type: GrantFiled: April 9, 2003Date of Patent: April 11, 2006Assignee: NEC LCD Tecnologies, Ltd.Inventors: Shinichi Nakata, Yuji Yamamoto, Mamoru Okamoto, Michiaki Sakamoto, Hironori Kikkawa, Muneo Maruyama
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Patent number: 7015995Abstract: An anisotropic reflection electrode has an undulated shape and whose normal direction is distributed unevenly to a specific azimuth angle and whose reflection light intensity depends on said azimuth angle. Openings are formed in that area of the reflection electrode which has a tilt angle of 0 degree to 2 degrees and/or a tilt angle of 10 degrees or higher. In one aspect, the retardation of a liquid crystal layer is changed by making the liquid crystal molecular alignment mode different between the openings and the reflection electrode, so that the intensity of output light is increased in reflection mode as well as in transmission mode. The balance of colors displayed in transmission mode is determined by determining the area of the openings in pixels of each color, and the color temperature is set higher in transmission mode than in reflection mode. This provides a semi-transmission type liquid crystal display which has an excellent visibility in reflection mode as well as in transmission mode.Type: GrantFiled: August 7, 2002Date of Patent: March 21, 2006Assignee: NEC LCD Technologies, Ltd.Inventors: Hidenori Ikeno, Masayoshi Suzuki, Youichi Murayama, Michiaki Sakamoto, Fumihiko Matsuno, Hironori Kikkawa, Yuichi Yamaguchi
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Patent number: 7008829Abstract: Alignment marks are formed when source and drain electrodes of a TFT are formed and thereon a thick red filter is formed. So that, the following respective color layers can be made thin on the red filter. Also, the exposure alignment laser permeates in an exposure step, and thereby the alignment marks can be accurately detected.Type: GrantFiled: April 21, 2004Date of Patent: March 7, 2006Assignee: NEC LCD Technologies, Ltd.Inventors: Shinichi Nakata, Yuji Yamamoto, Mamoru Okamoto, Michiaki Sakamoto, Hironori Kikkawa, Muneo Maruyama
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Publication number: 20060038940Abstract: A reflection electrode has an undulated shape and whose normal direction is distributed unevenly to a specific azimuth angle and whose reflection light intensity depends on said azimuth angle. Openings are formed in that area of the reflection electrode which has a tilt angle of 0 degree to 2 degrees and/or a tilt angle of 10 degrees or higher. The retardation of a liquid crystal layer is changed by making the liquid crystal molecular alignment mode different between the openings and the reflection electrode, so that the intensity of output light is increased in reflection mode as well as in transmission mode. The balance of colors displayed in transmission mode is determined by determining the area of the openings in pixels of each color, and the color temperature is set higher in transmission mode than in reflection mode. This provides a semi-transmission type liquid crystal display which has an excellent visibility in reflection mode as well as in transmission mode.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 17, 2005Publication date: February 23, 2006Inventors: Hidenori Ikeno, Masayoshi Suzuki, Youichi Murayama, Michiaki Sakamoto, Fumihiko Matsuno, Hironori Kikkawa, Yuichi Yamaguchi
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Patent number: 6977698Abstract: A reflection electrode has an undulated shape and whose normal direction is distributed unevenly to a specific azimuth angle and whose reflection light intensity depends on said azimuth angle. Openings are formed in that area of the reflection electrode which has a tilt angle of 0 degree to 2 degrees and/or a tilt angle of 10 degrees or higher. The retardation of a liquid crystal layer is changed by making the liquid crystal molecular alignment mode different between the openings and the reflection electrode, so that the intensity of output light is increased in reflection mode as well as in transmission mode. The balance of colors displayed in transmission mode is determined by determining the area of the openings in pixels of each color, and the color temperature is set higher in transmission mode than in reflection mode. This provides a semi-transmission type liquid crystal display which has an excellent visibility in reflection mode as well as in transmission mode.Type: GrantFiled: June 8, 2004Date of Patent: December 20, 2005Assignee: NEC LCD Technologies, Ltd.Inventors: Hidenori Ikeno, Masayoshi Suzuki, Youichi Murayama, Michiaki Sakamoto, Fumihiko Matsuno, Hironori Kikkawa, Yuichi Yamaguchi
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Publication number: 20050243249Abstract: A liquid crystal display device including a first substrate, a second substrate facing and spaced away from the first substrate, a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the first and second substrates, a switching device formed on the first substrate, a first electrically insulating film randomly patterned on the first substrate, a second electrically insulating film covering the first electrically insulating film therewith, and having a wavy surface, and a reflection electrode formed on the second electrically insulating film, and electrically connected to an electrode of the switching device, wherein a light passing through the second substrate and the liquid crystal layer is reflected at the reflection electrode, and the second electrically insulating film extends outwardly from the first electrically insulating film by a certain length at an end of a display region in which images are to be displayed, such that a step formed by the first and second electrically insulating films in the vicinity of the enType: ApplicationFiled: July 12, 2005Publication date: November 3, 2005Applicant: NEC LCD TECHNOLOGIES, LTD.Inventors: Hironori Kikkawa, Michiaki Sakamoto, Yuichi Yamaguchi, Hidenori Ikeno, Fumihiko Matsuno
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Publication number: 20050243250Abstract: A liquid crystal display device including a first substrate, a second substrate facing and spaced away from the first substrate, a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the first and second substrates, a switching device formed on the first substrate, a first electrically insulating film randomly patterned on the first substrate, a second electrically insulating film covering the first electrically insulating film therewith, and having a wavy surface, and a reflection electrode formed on the second electrically insulating film, and electrically connected to an electrode of the switching device, wherein a light passing through the second substrate and the liquid crystal layer is reflected at the reflection electrode, and the second electrically insulating film extends outwardly from the first electrically insulating film by a certain length at an end of a display region in which images are to be displayed, such that a step formed by the first and second electrically insulating films in the vicinity of the enType: ApplicationFiled: July 12, 2005Publication date: November 3, 2005Applicant: NEC LCD TECHNOLOGIES, LTD.Inventors: Hironori Kikkawa, Michiaki Sakamoto, Yuichi Yamaguchi, Hidenori Ikeno, Fumihiko Matsuno
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Patent number: 6943856Abstract: To provide a reflection plate and a reflection type liquid crystal display apparatus, in which a light from a light source of a fluorescent light or the sun light can be effectively used to thereby increase an amount of lights to be reflected to an observer side so that a bright display can be obtained, and a method of manufacturing the same.Type: GrantFiled: October 29, 2001Date of Patent: September 13, 2005Assignee: NEC CorporationInventors: Yuichi Yamaguchi, Hidenori Ikeno, Takahiko Watanabe, Fumihiko Matsuno, Hironori Kikkawa, Michiaki Sakamoto
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Patent number: 6937302Abstract: A liquid crystal display device including a first substrate, a second substrate facing and spaced away from the first substrate, a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the first and second substrates, a switching device formed on the first substrate, a first electrically insulating film randomly patterned on the first substrate, a second electrically insulating film covering the first electrically insulating film therewith, and having a wavy surface, and a reflection electrode formed on the second electrically insulating film, and electrically connected to an electrode of the switching device, wherein a light passing through the second substrate and the liquid crystal layer is reflected at the reflection electrode, and the second electrically insulating film extends outwardly from the first electrically insulating film by a certain length at an end of a display region in which images are to be displayed, such that a step formed by the first and second electrically insulating films in the vicinity of the enType: GrantFiled: January 31, 2002Date of Patent: August 30, 2005Assignee: NEC LCD Technologies, Ltd.Inventors: Hironori Kikkawa, Michiaki Sakamoto, Yuichi Yamaguchi, Hidenori Ikeno, Fumihiko Matsuno
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Publication number: 20050151901Abstract: In order to realize the manufacture of a reflection type liquid crystal display in the same manufacture processes as those of a transmission type liquid crystal display, a photolithography mask capable of forming both a gate electrode 22 and a reflective layer 23, and a photolithography mask capable of forming only the gate electrode 22 are prepared, and by using either one of the masks, the reflection type liquid crystal display in which both the gate electrode 22 and the reflective layer 23 are formed on a transparent insulation substrate 21, and the transmission type liquid crystal display in which only the gate electrode 22 is formed are selectively manufactured.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 9, 2005Publication date: July 14, 2005Inventors: Hironori Kikkawa, Michiaki Sakamoto