Abstract: The present invention provides a vertical alignment film having a polymerizable liquid crystal compound having negative dielectric constant anisotropy, where the polymerizable liquid crystal compound is vertically aligned against the surface of the substrate, and then the polymerizable liquid crystal compound is fixed to form the vertical alignment film.

Abstract: A novel liquid crystal display device is disclosed. The liquid crystal display device comprises a first polarizing film, a first retardation area with an Re of 60 to 200 nm and a value of Nz of less than 0.8 and not greater than 1.5; a second retardation region with an Re of not greater than 50 nm and an Rth of ?200 to ?50 nm; and a liquid crystal cell comprising a liquid crystal layer being aligned in parallel to the surfaces of the pair of substrates in a black state with a slow axis in a black state parallel to the transmission axis of the first polarizing film; and a second polarizing film.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display device comprising a pair of substrates, at least one polarizing film provided outside the pair of substrates, a liquid crystal cell having a red color filter, a green color filter and a blue color filter provided inside the pair of substrates, a first retardation film compensating for light of a wavelength or wavelengths corresponding to a color or colors of any one or two of the three color filters, and a second retardation film compensating for light of a wavelength that is not compensated for by the first retardation film.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display comprising a first polarization film, a first retardation region, a second retardation region, a liquid crystal layer, a liquid crystal cell, and a second polarization film disposed in this order, liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer being aligned in parallel with surfaces of the substrates at the time of dark state, wherein Re of the first retardation region is 70 nm to 330 nm, Nz value of the first retardation region is greater than 0 and less than 0.

Abstract: The present invention provides a filter for optical recording medium capable of preventing diffuse reflection of an information beam and a reference beam from a reflective layer in the optical recording medium and preventing occurrence of noise without causing shift in selective reflection wavelength, and distortion in a reproduced image even when an angle of incidence is changed, and an optical recording medium capable of recording a high density image by using the filter. Specifically, the present invention relates to the optical recording medium containing a first substrate, a recording layer which records information by utilizing holography, an optical compensation layer, a filter layer, and a second substrate, in this order, and the filter layer is a cholesteric liquid crystal layer.

Abstract: An optically anisotropic film comprising a liquid crystal compound forming a nematic phase or smectic A phase, the liquid crystalline phase satisfying the following inequality: ?n(450 nm)/?n(550 nm)<1.0 in which each ?n(?) represents an intrinsic birefringence at a wavelength of ?, wherein the optically anisotropic film (A) has an absolute in-plane retardation (Re) of 40 nm or less and a retardation in the thickness direction (Rth) of ?10 nm or less.

Abstract: A novel liquid crystal display device is disclosed. The liquid crystal display device comprises a first substrate, a second substrate, liquid crystal held between the first substrate and the second substrate, patterned layers divided into fine areas, disposed on the first substrate, comprising at least a patterned color filter layer and a patterned first optically anisotropic layer laminated in the direction of the normal line of the substrate, and a barrier wall disposed at a boundary portion of the adjacent fine areas of the patterned layers.

Abstract: An optical compensation film capable of contributing to improvement in a viewing angle characteristic of a liquid crystal display device, especially an IPS mode liquid crystal display device is proposed. A composition comprises at least one onium salt, at least one rod-like liquid crystalline compound, and at least one additive capable of promoting a vertical alignment of molecules of the rod-like liquid crystalline compound at an air interface; and an optical compensation film comprising an optically anisotropic layer formed of the composition are disclosed.

Abstract: A novel liquid crystal display device is disclosed. The liquid crystal display device comprises a first polarizing film, a first retardation area with an Re of 70 to 330 nm and a value of Nz of not less than 0 to less than 0.5 and a slow axis perpendicular to a transmission axis of the first polarizing film; a second retardation region with an Re of not greater than 50 nm and an Rth of 10 to 140 nm; and a liquid crystal cell comprising a liquid crystal layer with a slow axis in a black state parallel to the transmission axis of the first polarizing film; and a second polarizing film in this order.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display comprising a first polarization film, a first retardation region, a second retardation region, a liquid crystal layer, a liquid crystal cell, and a second polarization film disposed in this order, liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer being aligned in parallel with surfaces of the substrates at the time of dark state, wherein Re of the first retardation region is 70 nm to 330 nm, Nz value of the first retardation region is greater than 0 and less than 0.

Abstract: A novel optically-anisotropic film is disclosed. The film is formed of a composition comprising at least one discotic liquid-crystal compound having a ratio, ?1, which is a ratio of birefringence at 400 nm to birefringence at 550 nm in a liquid-crystal state, of less than 1.25, in which the molecules of the liquid-crystal compound are fixed in an alignment state at a mean tilt angle ranging from 35 to 85°, wherein its in-plane retardation Re, as measured in a direction normal to a plane of the optically-anisotropic film for 50 nm wavelength light, falls within the range from 60 nm to 220 nm.

Abstract: A novel liquid crystal display device is disclosed. The liquid crystal display device comprises a first polarizing film, a first retardation area with an Re of 60 to 200 nm and a value of Nz of less than 0.8 and not greater than 1.5; a second retardation region with an Re of not greater than 50 nm and an Rth of ?200 to ?50 nm; and a liquid crystal cell comprising a liquid crystal layer being aligned in parallel to the surfaces of the pair of substrates in a black state with a slow axis in a black state parallel to the transmission axis of the first polarizing film; and a second polarizing film.

Abstract: A novel retardation film is disclosed. The film comprises a transparent substrate and an optically anisotropic layer formed thereon by fixing a liquid crystalline compound in an aligned state, wherein the retardation film, when positioned between two polarizers in a crossed Nicol arrangement, has a frontal luminance within a range of 0.700 to 0.000 cd/m2. A novel liquid crystal display is also disclosed. The display comprises a first polarizing film, the retardation film positioned in contact with a surface of the first polarizing film, a first substrate, a liquid crystal layer formed of a liquid crystal material, and a second substrate positioned in this order, in which liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal material are aligned in a black state parallel to surfaces of a pair of the substrates.

Abstract: A novel liquid crystal display is disclosed. The liquid crystal display comprises a backlight, a pair of substrates, a liquid crystal layer disposed between the pair of substrates, a color filter, reflective portions, transmissive portions, and a retardation layer disposed between the pair of substrates in each of the transmissive portions. The retardation layer comprises a liquid crystal material fixed in a hybrid state, and the retardation layer has a retardation which varies depending on a wavelength of the color filter.

Abstract: A novel elliptically polarizing plate is disclosed. The elliptically polarizing plate comprises a polarizing film, two protective films respectively disposed on a surface of the polarizing film, and a retardation film disposed adjacent to at least one of the protective films, wherein an absorption axis of the polarizing film and a slow axis of the retardation film are perpendicular or parallel to each other; the retardation film has an Nz value, as defined according to (Nz=Rth/Re+0.5) by using an in-plane retardation Re and a retardation Rth in the thickness direction, of from 0.3 to 0.7 and an in-plane retardation Re of from 150 to 400 nm; and the protective film adjacent to the retardation film comprises a cellulose acylate and has a retardation Rth in the thickness direction of from ?30 nm to 30 nm.

Abstract: A novel optical compensatory sheet is disclosed. The sheet comprises an optically anisotropic layer thereon comprising at least one compound represented by Formula (I) (R1—X1—)mAr1(—COOH)p, Formula (II): (R2—X2—)nAr2(—SO3H)q or Formula (III): (R—)sAr(—Y)r; where Ar1 denotes an aromatic heterocyclic group or aromatic condensed carbocyclic group, X1 denotes a single bond or divalent linking group, R1 denotes an alkyl group, and m and p are integers from 1 to 4; where Ar2 denotes an aromatic heterocyclic group or aromatic carbocyclic group, X2 denotes a single bond or divalent linking group, R2 denotes an alkyl group, n is an integer from 1 to 4 and q is an integer from 1 to 4; where Ar denotes an aromatic heterocyclic group or aromatic carbocyclic group, R denotes a substituent group, Y denotes sulfo or carboxyl, s is an integer from 0 to 5 and r is an integer from 1 to 4.

Abstract: A novel retardation film is disclosed. The film comprises a transparent substrate and an optically anisotropic layer formed thereon by fixing a liquid crystalline compound in an aligned state, wherein the retardation film, when positioned between two polarizers in a crossed Nicol arrangement, has a frontal luminance within a range of 0.700 to 0.000 cd/m2. A novel liquid crystal display is also disclosed. The display comprises a first polarizing film, the retardation film positioned in contact with a surface of the first polarizing film, a first substrate, a liquid crystal layer formed of a liquid crystal material, and a second substrate positioned in this order, in which liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal material are aligned in a black state parallel to surfaces of a pair of the substrates.

Abstract: A novel liquid-crystal display is disclosed. The LCD comprises at least a first polarizing film, a first retardation area, with a positive birefringence, of which an optical axis is perpendicular to a plane, a second retardation area, with a negative birefringence, of which an optical axis is parallel to a plane, and a liquid-crystal cell comprising a pair of substrates and a liquid-crystal layer sandwiched in between the pair of substrates, in which liquid-crystal molecules are parallel to surfaces of the pair of substrates in a black state. A retardation in thickness-direction, Rth, of the first retardation area falls within the range from ?40 to ?250 nm, an in-plane retardation, Re, of the second retardation area falls within the range from 50 to 400 nm, and a slow axis of the second retardation area is substantially orthogonal to a slow axis of the liquid-crystal layer in a black state.

Abstract: A wavelength-selective reflection film comprises at least one layer. In the layer, liquid crystal molecules are aligned in a chiral smectic phase. The chiral smectic phase has a helical pitch and an average refractive index. The product of the helical pitch and the average refractive index is in the range of 213 to 450 nm. The layer selectively reflects light in a particular wavelength range, and selectively transmits light in another wavelength range.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for producing a cholesteric liquid crystal color filter having excellent color pixel resolution. The method features forming a liquid crystal layer which includes a cholesteric liquid crystal composition containing at least a liquid crystal compound, a photoreactive chiral dopant, and a polymerization initiator; and forming partition walls at portions corresponding to a boundary of each of pixels to be formed, by irradiating those portions through a mask with ultraviolet light at a wavelength to which the polymerization initiator is sensitive, either before or after the pixels are formed in the liquid crystal layer.