Abstract: A liquid crystal display device is provided with an electrode structure for effective utilization of optically isotropic liquid crystals. Such a liquid crystal display device comprises a first substrate; a second substrate; polarizing plates provided on the first substrate and the second substrate, respectively; a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate; and pixel electrodes and common electrodes provided on the first substrate, wherein the liquid crystal layer has such a property that optical anisotropy is induced therein by a change of an optically isotropic state caused by a voltage; wherein ones of the pixel electrodes and the common electrodes are formed in an inter-digital form, while the other ones are formed in a flat plate, and wherein an electric field is applied to the liquid crystal layer by a potential difference between the pixel electrodes and the common electrodes.

Abstract: In a transflective liquid crystal display device having a first substrate, a second substrate, a liquid crystal layer disposed between the two substrates and a reflective region and a transmissive region in each pixel; the second substrate has a pixel electrode to drive the liquid crystal layer and a common electrode; the reflective region of the second substrate is formed with an in-cell polarizer between the pixel electrode and common electrode and the reflector. In this invention, the thickness of the liquid crystal layer is set greater in the reflective region than in the transmissive region. The difference in the liquid crystal layer thickness between the reflective region and the transmissive region is provided by forming a step in the first substrate or the second substrate.

Abstract: An optical element is arranged in such a manner that a screen thereof can be hardly observed from a predetermined direction, and a deterioration of an image quality caused by moire does not occur. The optical element is constituted by a first polarizing layer, a second polarizing layer, and a liquid crystal layer arranged between these two polarizing layers. In the optical element, absorption axes of the first polarizing layer and the second polarizing layer are located parallel to each other; the liquid crystal layer is made of hybrid-aligned discotic liquid crystal; and an alignment axis of the liquid crystal layer is located parallel to, or perpendicular to both absorption axes of the first polarizing layer and of the second polarizing layer.

Abstract: There is provided a liquid crystal display device capable of decreasing the driving voltage of a liquid crystal display panel. The liquid crystal display device includes: a first substrate and a second substrate; a liquid crystal layer interposed between the first substrate and the second substrate; and a pixel electrode and a common electrode arranged between the second substrate and the liquid crystal layer. Either one of the pixel electrode or the common electrode has an interdigital shape. An absolute value of both flexoelectric coefficients e11 and e33 of the liquid crystal layer is equal to or greater than 5 pC/m.

Abstract: Provided is a liquid crystal display device including: a first substrate; a second substrate; a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the first and the second substrates; a first polarization plate placed on a side of the first substrate; a second polarization plate placed on a side of the second substrate; and a pixel electrode and a common electrode which are provided on the side of the second substrate on which the liquid crystal layer is placed, in which: at least one of the pixel electrode and the common electrode is interdigital; and the liquid crystal layer has flexoelectric coefficients e11 and e33, both absolute values of which are +7 pC/m or less. Accordingly, a flicker intensity in an IPS liquid crystal display device is suppressed to such a degree as not to influence display quality.

Abstract: An optical element is arranged in such a manner that a screen thereof can be hardly observed from a predetermined direction, and a deterioration of an image quality caused by moire does not occur. The optical element is constituted by a first polarizing layer, a second polarizing layer, and a liquid crystal layer arranged between these two polarizing layers. In the optical element, absorption axes of the first polarizing layer and the second polarizing layer are located parallel to each other; the liquid crystal layer is made of hybrid-aligned discotic liquid crystal; and an alignment axis of the liquid crystal layer is located parallel to, or perpendicular to both absorption axes of the first polarizing layer and of the second polarizing layer.

Abstract: Provided is a liquid crystal display device with a backlight including a light guide plate. The light guide plate includes, a reflective polarizing plate for transmitting a P-polarized component and reflecting an S-polarized component, a reflector for reflecting the S-polarized component reflected by the reflective polarizing plate, and a polarization converting member for converting the S-polarized component to a P-polarized component. The reflective polarizing plate and the reflector are tilted at an angle such that reflecting surfaces thereof are not perpendicular to four sides of the liquid crystal display panel and are disposed such that the S-polarized component contained in a main component of light emitted from the light sources is reflected by the reflector. This keeps small the size of the liquid crystal display device and still improves reuse efficiency of the light emitted from the light sources.

Abstract: A transflective liquid crystal display device is arranged to make the overall structure thinner and enhance a reflecting contrast ratio. The transflective liquid crystal display includes a first substrate, a second substrate, a liquid crystal layer laid between the substrates, a first polarization plate located on the opposite side of the first substrate to the side where the liquid crystal layer is located, a second polarization plate located on the opposite side of the second substrate to the side where the liquid crystal layer is located, and a plurality of pixels formed between the substrates, each of the pixels having a reflective area and a transmissive area. An in-cell retarder is located between the second substrate and the liquid crystal layer. An optical compensation film is located between the first substrate and the first polarization plate, between the second substrate and the second polarization plate, or both.

Abstract: The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device comprising a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between an upper substrate and a lower substrate having a twist angle in the range of about 40 to 65 degrees and a light diffusive reflective electrode having recesses and projections provided on the lower substrate wherein a product of the height of the recesses and projections and a birefringence of the liquid crystal layer is in the range of about 10 to 53 nm at the twist angle of about 40 degrees and about 10 to 64 nm at the twist angle of about 65 degrees, respectively.

Abstract: This invention includes a first substrate, a second substrate, a liquid-crystal layer sandwiched between the first substrate and the second substrate, and a plurality of pixels each surrounded by scan lines and signal lines arranged in a matrix format on the second substrate; with a first pixel electrode, a second pixel electrode, a first common electrode, and a second common electrode being arranged in the pixel region of the second substrate above which the liquid-crystal layer is disposed, the first pixel electrode and the first common electrode being arranged on a first layer, the second pixel electrode and the second common electrode being arranged on a second layer, the first pixel electrode and the second common electrode being overlapped upon each other in the pixel region, and the second pixel electrode and the first common electrode being overlapped upon each other in the pixel region.

Abstract: The present invention provides light emitting displays which produce a bright image by efficiently emitting light radiated from a light-emitting thin-film layer to the viewer side, and also produces a high-quality image of high contrast ratio and changing in color to a limited extent over a wide viewing angle range even in a bright atmosphere.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display of a transflective IPS system in which a lateral electric field is applied to a liquid crystal layer. Polarization films are arranged on the entire surface of a transmissive display unit and a reflective display unit in a manner similar to a transmissive IPS system. An inner retardation layer whose retardation is equal to a half wave is formed in the reflective display unit. A retardation of the liquid crystal layer of the reflective display unit is set to a quarter wave. Thus, a reflective display can be performed in a wide range of environment from a light place to a dark place and a transmissive display of a wide viewing angle and high picture quality can be performed.

Abstract: The present invention provides light emitting displays which produce a bright image by efficiently emitting light radiated from a light-emitting thin-film layer to the viewer side, and also produces a high-quality image of high contrast ratio and changing in color to a limited extent over a wide viewing angle range even in a bright atmosphere.

Abstract: A semi-transparent homogeneous-alignment LCD device including a transmission part and a reflection part, a first linear dielectric protrusion disposed between a common electrode and a liquid crystal layer so as to extend over a plurality of pixels in a short side direction of pixels and be disposed nearly in center of the transmission part, and a second linear dielectric protrusion disposed in the reflection part between the common electrode and a first substrate so as to extend over a plurality of pixels in the short side direction, wherein an alignment direction of liquid crystal molecules crosses the first and second linear dielectric protrusions at right angles and is parallel to a long side direction of pixels, and a tilt angle of the liquid crystal molecules is approximately 0°, or even if there is a pre-tilt angle, the tilt angle of the liquid crystal molecules is 2° or less.

Abstract: A transreflective or “semi-transmissive” liquid crystal display (LCD) device of the vertical alignment (VA) type is disclosed. The VA-LCD device includes a pair of spaced-apart substrates with a layer of liquid crystal (LC) material sandwiched therebetween. The LCD device also includes a polarization plate provided on one of the substrates, another polarization plate on the other substrate, and a matrix of rows and columns of pixels formed between the substrates. Each pixel has a reflection part and a transmission part. The LC layer is variable in thickness so that its portion at the transmission part is thicker than a portion at the reflection part. At the reflection part, an internal retardation plate having an optical phase difference is disposed between the LC layer and its associated substrate. This plate forms an angle of about 45 degrees with the absorption axis of each polarization plate.

Abstract: In a liquid crystal display device, rays of light of a light source for blue light emission are concentrated on a fluorescent material by using a lens of a first micro-lens array and fluorescent rays from the fluorescent material are concentrated on a pixel of corresponding color by using a lens of a second micro-lens array.

Abstract: A display unit which displays a plurality of objects viewed as being located at different depthwise positions by the viewer so as to exhibit an image with depthwise feeling, includes: a single display portion including a far-distant display zone and a near-distant display zone, a polarized beam splitting element in front of the near-distant display zone, a polarized beam changing element in front of the far-distant display zone, and a total reflection mirror for reflecting an image beam emitted from the far-distant display zone, onto the polarized beam splitting element. An image beam emitted from the far-distant display zone is transmitted through the polarized beam changing element, then is reflected at the total reflection mirror, and thereafter is reflected by the polarized beam splitting element before it is viewed by the viewer.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to prevent the domain from being generated in the pixel end portions so that the transmittance can increase in an IPS type liquid crystal display device where the size of the pixels is extremely small. In the liquid crystal display device according to the present invention, the electrodes close to the liquid crystal layer have a comb-like structure having a linking portion only at one pixel end, the end portion of the comb-like structure has a structure for preventing the domain from growing, the width of the slits in the comb-like structure is greater than the width of the electrodes, and the alignment of the liquid crystal layer has such a pretilt angle that the liquid crystal rises from the end portion in the comb-like structure towards the root in the interface close to the electrode.

Abstract: A transflective liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal display panel having a first substrate, a second substrate, and a liquid crystal interposed between the first substrate and the second substrate in which the liquid crystal display panel includes a plurality of subpixels having a transmissive portion and a reflective portion, wherein the transmissive portion of each of the plurality of subpixels includes a first common electrode formed on the first substrate, and a transmissive pixel electrode formed on the first common electrode through an interlayer insulating film, wherein the transmissive pixel electrode has a plurality of pectinate electrodes or slits, and wherein the reflective portion of each of the plurality of subpixels includes a reflective electrode formed on the first common electrode, a planar reflective pixel electrode formed on the first common electrode through the interlayer insulating film, second common electrodes formed on the second substrate, and a retarder formed be

Abstract: A wafer processing apparatus 100 is configured so that the number of repeated cycles of supplying pure water for maintaining the etching rate of phosphoric acid 10 to be high for the complete etching of the target film and halting the supply for each lot of wafers during a predetermined period of time, and, when the number of cycles falls outside a preset range of cycle counts, a notice to that effect is provided. Consequently, a lot of wafers having defective etching can be found with good accuracy, as well as defective etching being able to be prevented from occurring in subsequent lots of wafers.