Abstract: Provided is an organic electroluminescence display device which makes use of the hygroscopic ability of a water-absorbing silicon-containing polymer such as polysilazane and has highly reliable display performance, the organic electroluminescence display device including: a substrate; an organic electroluminescence element formed on the substrate; a hygroscopic layer for covering the organic electroluminescence element; a gas releasing member (gas releasing layer) provided in contact with the hygroscopic layer; and a sealing member (sealing substrate) provided over the hygroscopic layer in which the hygroscopic layer is formed of a hygroscopic silicon-containing polymer.

Abstract: A reflective display apparatus that creates a display by moving particles includes a front substrate and a back substrate, a plurality of colored charged particles and an insulated liquid sandwiched between the front substrate and back substrate. A reflective first electrode and a second electrode are placed on the back substrate, and a support member is provided to keep a distance between the front substrate and the back substrate. A first portion of an area of the first electrode which borders on the second electrode is covered by a colored layer, which color is the same as the color of the charged particles.

Abstract: A display apparatus is constituted by a display device including a plurality of pixels and control means for effecting a plurality of displaying operations at each pixel. Each of the displaying operation includes at least a first operation for displaying a first image at a first luminance and a second operation for displaying a second image substantially identical to the first image at a second luminance, said first and second luminances being non-zero and different from each other. One of the first and second luminances may preferably be smaller than ? of the other luminance.

Abstract: There is a demand for preventing display quality of a display apparatus from deteriorating. When charged particles (9) are attracted to a first electrode (3), the distribution density may not become uniform over the entire area A1 and only the distribution density in the periphery of the first electrode (3) (see reference numeral A3) may be locally reduced. The present invention places a colored layer (5) having the same color as the color of charged particles in this area A3. Therefore, even if the distribution density is low, the low density is hardly visually recognized, making it possible to prevent the display quality from deteriorating.

Abstract: A display apparatus is constituted by a display device including a plurality of pixels and control means for effecting a plurality of displaying operations at each pixel. Each of the displaying operation includes at least a first operation for displaying a first image at a first luminance and a second operation for displaying a second image substantially identical to the first image at a second luminance, said first and second luminances being non-zero and different from each other. One of the first and second luminances may preferably be smaller than ⅕ of the other luminance.

Abstract: A display apparatus is constituted by a display device including a plurality of pixels and control means for effecting a plurality of displaying operations at each pixel. Each of the displaying operation includes at least a first operation for displaying a first image at a first luminance and a second operation for displaying a second image substantially identical to the first image at a second luminance, said first and second luminances being non-zero and different from each other. One of the first and second luminances may preferably be smaller than ⅕ of the other luminance.

Abstract: A liquid crystal device is constituted by a layer of a chiral smectic liquid crystal, a pair of substrates oppositely disposed to sandwich the liquid crystal and each provided with an electrode for applying a voltage to the liquid crystal, at least one of the substrates being provided with a uniaxial aligning axis for aligning the liquid crystal, and a polarizer disposed on at least one of the substrates.

Abstract: A driving method is described for a liquid crystal display device of the active matrix type which includes a pair of substrates and a liquid crystal disposed between the substrates so as to form a matrix of pixels provided with a plurality of pixel electrodes arranged in rows and columns, a plurality of row electrodes and a plurality of column electrodes, respectively, for applying a voltage to the pixels via the pixel electrodes, and a plurality of active elements each provided to a pixel and connected to a pixel electrode, a row electrode and a column electrode, respectively. The driving method includes a field-inversion drive scheme wherein the liquid crystal display device is driven while inverting a polarity of voltage applied to each pixel every picture scanning field.

Abstract: A liquid crystal device suitable for analog gradational display according to active matrix drive is formed using a chiral smectic liquid crystal. The voltage-transmittance (V-T) characteristic change accompanying a cell thickness change can be minimized to allow the production of such a liquid crystal device at a higher yield. In the liquid crystal device, the liquid crystal is placed in such an alignment state that the liquid crystal is monostabilized under no voltage application and is tilted in response to the application of voltages of opposing polarities so that the saturation voltage becomes larger at small cell thickness (liquid crystal layer thickness).

Abstract: A display apparatus is constituted by a display device including a plurality of pixels and control means for effecting a plurality of displaying operations at each pixel. Each of the displaying operation includes at least a first operation for displaying a first image at a first luminance and a second operation for displaying a second image substantially identical to the first image at a second luminance, said first and second luminances being non-zero and different from each other. One of the first and second luminances may preferably be smaller than ⅕ of the other luminance.

Abstract: A liquid crystal device comprises chiral smectic liquid crystal, two substrates and electrodes for applying a voltage to the liquid crystal to form pixels, each provided with an active element connected to an associated electrode on at least one substrate. The liquid crystal alignment forms domains D1 and D2, wherein the liquid crystal is aligned to provide an average molecular axis in a monostable alignment state under no voltage application, is tilted from such state in one direction when supplied with a voltage of a first polarity at a tilting angle which varies with the magnitude of the supplied voltage, and is tilted in the other direction when supplied with a voltage of a second and opposite polarity. Maximum tilting angles &bgr;1 and &bgr;2, formed under application of the voltages of the first and second polarities, respectively, satisfy: &bgr;1>&bgr;2>0 in domain D1 and 0<&bgr;1<&bgr;2 in domain D2.

Abstract: A liquid crystal device is constituted by a chiral smectic liquid crystal to form a plurality of pixels. The chiral smectic liquid crystal has a temperature-dependent tilt angle characteristic satisfying the following relationship: Ĥ10−Ĥ1≦4.0 degrees, wherein Ĥ10 denotes a tilt angle at a temperature which is 10° C. lower than an upper limit temperature of chiral smectic C phase and Ĥ1 denotes a tilt angle at a temperature which is 1° C. lower than the upper limit temperature.

Abstract: An active matrix-type liquid crystal device including: a pair of substrates, a chiral smectic liquid crystal disposed between the substrates so as to form a matrix of pixels arranged in a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns, a plurality of active elements each provided to a pixel for supplying a voltage applied to the liquid crystal at the pixel, and an electrode matrix including a first electrode supplied with a first voltage and a second electrode which is supplied with a second voltage within a withstand voltage of the active elements connected to the second electrode, the first and second electrodes constituting drive signal supply electrodes for applying drive signal voltages to the respective active elements which will be sequentially turned on for a drive on-time for transmitting the drive signal voltages supplied thereto to associated pixels in a display period is produced by a process characterized by the step of: in a conditioning period preceding the display period, sequentially turning on

Abstract: An active matrix-type liquid crystal device including: a pair of substrates, a chiral smectic liquid crystal disposed between the substrates so as to form a matrix of pixels arranged in a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns, a plurality of active elements each provided to a pixel for supplying a voltage applied to the liquid crystal at the pixel, and an electrode matrix including drive signal supply electrodes for applying drive signal voltages to the respective active elements which will be sequentially turned on for a drive on-time for transmitting the drive signal voltages supplied thereto to associated pixels in a display period is produced by a process characterized by the step of: in a conditioning period preceding the display period, sequentially turning on the active elements for a conditioning on-time longer than the drive on-time for transmitting a conditioning voltage supplied thereto to associated pixels so as to stabilize a voltage-transmittance characteristic of the liquid crystal.

Abstract: An active matrix-type liquid crystal device including: a pair of substrates, a chiral smectic liquid crystal disposed between the substrates so as to form a matrix of pixels arranged in a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns, a plurality of active elements each provided to a pixel for supplying a voltage applied to the liquid crystal at the pixel, and an electrode matrix including drive signal supply electrodes for applying drive signal voltages to the respective active elements which will be turned on by periodically applying the data signal voltages to associated pixels in a succession of display frame periods is produced by a the process characterized by the step of: periodically turning on the active elements by periodically applying conditioning voltages to associated pixels in a succession of conditioning periods, preceding the display frame periods, in which the periodically applied conditioning voltages have an identical polarity over at least two consecutive conditioning periods, thereby to s

Abstract: An active matrix-type liquid crystal device including: a pair of substrates, a chiral smectic liquid crystal disposed between the substrates so as to form a matrix of pixels arranged in a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns, a plurality of active elements each provided to a pixel for supplying a voltage applied to the liquid crystal at the pixel, and an electrode matrix including drive signal supply electrodes for applying drive signal voltages to the respective active elements which will be sequentially turned on for a drive on-time for transmitting the drive signal voltages supplied thereto to associated pixels in a display period is produced by a process characterized by the step of: in a conditioning period preceding the display period, sequentially turning on the active elements for a conditioning on-time for transmitting a conditioning voltage supplied thereto to associated pixels, the conditioning voltage being set to be longer than a maximum of the drive signal voltages so as to stabilize a v

Abstract: A liquid crystal device is constituted by a pair of substrates at least one of which is provided with a uniaxial alignment axis, and a chiral smectic liquid crystal disposed between the substrates to form a plurality of pixels arranged in rows and columns. Each pixel is provided with a switching element and an electrode for applying a voltage to the liquid crystal via the switching element. A matrix of signal lines comprising scanning signal lines and data signal lines is so arranged that each scanning signal line is disposed along a row of the pixels so as to connect a row of the switching elements provided to the row of the pixels and each data signal line is disposed along a column of the pixels so as to connect a column of the switching elements provided to the column of the pixels. The liquid crystal exhibits a phase transition series on temperature decrease of isotropic phase, cholesteric phase and chiral smectic C phase or of isotropic phase and chiral smectic C phase.

Abstract: A driving method for a liquid crystal display device of the active matrix type, including a pair of substrates and a liquid crystal disposed between the substrates so as to form a matrix of pixels provided with a plurality of pixel electrodes arranged in rows and columns; a plurality of row electrodes and a plurality of column electrodes, respectively, for applying a voltage to the pixels via the pixel electrodes; and a plurality of active elements each provided to a pixel and connected to a pixel electrode, a row electrode and a column electrode, respectively. The driving method includes a field-inversion drive scheme wherein the liquid crystal display device is driven while inverting a polarity of voltage applied to each pixel every picture scanning field.

Abstract: A liquid crystal device has a pair of oppositely disposed substrates and a liquid crystal having chiral smectic C phase disposed therebetween. The liquid crystal is placed in an alignment state in chiral smectic C phase with smectic molecular layers forming a chevron structure. Under no electric field application, the liquid crystal has an average molecular axis substantially in alignment with the uniaxial alignment axis and/or a bisector of a maximum angle formed between two extreme molecular axes established under electric field application, while under electric field application, the liquid crystal provides an effective tilt angle and a transmittance that continuously changes depending on an electric field applied thereto.

Abstract: A process for producing a liquid crystal device principally includes the steps of: disposing a pair of substrates each provided with an electrode with a spacing therebetween, and filling a chiral smectic liquid crystal in the spacing between the pair of substrates so as to be supplied with a voltage via the pair of electrodes. The pair of substrates are provided with anti-parallel uniaxial aligning axes so that the liquid crystal is placed in an alignment state exhibiting a pretilt angle of at least 4 degrees at a boundary thereof with at least one of the substrates. The liquid crystal has a phase transition series of Iso-Ch-SmC* or Iso-SmC* on temperature decrease. The process further includes a step of heating the liquid crystal disposed between the substrates to a temperature assuming Iso or Ch and then cooling the liquid crystal to a temperature assuming SmC*; and a step of applying an initial electric field having an effective voltage (Erms.) at a temperature assuming SmC* for at least 1 sec.