Abstract: A liquid crystal display device according to the invention includes a pair of substrates arranged to be oppose to each other, electrodes mounted on the opposing surfaces of the paired substrates, a thin film member such as color filters mounted on one of the paired substrates, a protective film covering the thin film member, a sealing member for hermetically binding the paired substrates each other with a predetermined gap interposed therebetween, and a liquid crystal material filled in an area of the gas surrounded by the sealing member between the paired substrates. The protective film has a multiple layer structure composed of a plurality of insulation layers made of a same film material. The insulation layers are formed not to overlap their outer peripheral end portions.

Abstract: When information is recorded by emitting a laser beam from a laser beam source, focusing the laser beam to irradiate a recording layer of an information recording medium, and changing the optical characteristics of the irradiated portion of the information recording medium, an information signal is converted by a recording signal generator into a multilevel recording signal, and the output power of the laser beam to irradiate the recording layer of the recording medium is changed by a modulating unit in a multilevel manner in accordance with the recording signal. Therefore, a portion having different optical characteristics from those of a portion not irradiated with the laser beam is formed in the recording layer.