Abstract: The present invention prevents the shaving of an alignment film caused by a columnar spacer in a liquid crystal display device of an IPS method using photo-alignment. A plinth higher than a pixel electrode is formed at a part where a columnar spacer formed over a counter substrate touches a TFT substrate. When an alignment film of a double-layered structure is applied over the pixel electrode and the plinth, the thickness of the alignment film over the plinth reduces by a leveling effect. When photo-alignment is applied in the state, a photodegraded upper alignment film over the plinth disappears and a lower alignment film having a high mechanical strength remains. As a result, it is possible to prevent the shaving of the alignment film.

Abstract: In the step of curing a resin for bonding a TFT substrate and a counter substrate each having an alignment film that has been optically aligned by using UV-light, damage to the alignment film due to the UV-light can be prevented without using a light shielding mask. A UV-light absorption layer is formed between each black matrix on the counter substrate. The TFT and counter substrates are sealed at their periphery by a resin that is cured by UV-light radiated from the counter substrate side. Since the absorption layer has a high absorbability to UV-light at a wavelength of 300 nm or less that degrades the alignment film, damage to the alignment film due to the UV-light for curing the resin can be prevented. Thus, provision of a light shielding mask for shielding the UV-light for the display region can be saved.

Abstract: Provided are a polarizer having high in-plane uniformity and high heat resistance, and a liquid crystal display (LCD) using the polarizer and having the following characteristics: the LCD is excellent in mass productivity, has the contrast ratio being improved, and has high image quality. The LCD includes: a pair of substrates at least one of which is transparent; a liquid crystal layer placed between the pair of substrates; an electrode group for applying an electric field to the liquid crystal layer, the electrode group being formed on at least one substrate of the pair of substrates; multiple active elements connected to the electrode group; and an alignment control film placed on at least one substrate of the pair of substrates, in which the molecules of a dichroism pigment aligned on at least one surface of the alignment control film and the dichroism pigment are cross-linked with a crosslinkable monomer.

Abstract: Provided is a solvent for forming an alignment film capable of fabricating a liquid crystal alignment film having high quality, an improved imidization ratio, large surface anisotropy, and a strong anchoring force. The solvent for forming an alignment film including a polymer for a liquid crystal display includes the polymer of the alignment film including polyimide and a variable compound capable of changing a chemical structure for evaporating after imidizing and sintering, which is in a liquid state during a film-forming process of coating, imidizing, and sintering polyamic acid which is a precursor of polyimide.

Abstract: Disclosed is a liquid crystal display device including: a first substrate and a second substrate, one of which is transparent; a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate; a group of electrodes for applying an electric field to the liquid crystal layer, which is formed on one of the first substrate and the second substrate; a plurality of active elements connected to the group of electrodes; and an alignment film disposed on one of the first substrate and the second substrate, wherein the alignment film contains a polyimide and a precursor of the polyimide, each of which is formed from a diamine and an acid anhydride, and the diamine contains a first diamine having an acidic group and a second diamine having a nitrogen atom-containing functional group other than two amino groups.

Abstract: Provided is a liquid crystal display device including: a substrate (13) including a polarizing layer (11) on a light-input side; a substrate (14) including a polarizing layer (12) on another side, the polarizing layers having absorption axes substantially perpendicular; a liquid crystal layer (15) in which a liquid-crystal-molecule is aligned to be substantially horizontal to the substrates. In a case where an absorption axis of the polarizing layer (11) and an optical axis of the liquid crystal layer are substantially perpendicular, the optical compensating members (17 and 18) may be provided between the polarizing layer (11) and the liquid crystal layer; the absorption axis of the polarizing layer (11) and a slow axis of the optical compensating members are substantially perpendicular; each pixel satisfies nx?ny?nz; thickness-direction retardation for pixels of one color is different from other colors; and the thickness-direction retardation for red pixels is larger than 0 nm.

Abstract: Provided is a liquid crystal display device, including: a liquid crystal layer filled between a first and a second substrate; two polymer structures; and a plurality of pixels each including a first and a second electrode, one of the first and the second electrode being a pixel electrode, in which: each of the plurality of pixels is provided within a region surrounded by a signal line, a part of the signal line being formed between adjacent two of the plurality of pixels; each of the two polymer structures, which extends along the part of the signal line so as to sandwich the part of the signal line in plan view and is formed from one of the first and the second substrate toward another thereof, is formed so as to overlap with any of the region; and the two adjacent polymer structures has the liquid crystal layer provided therebetween.

Abstract: An IPS liquid crystal display device intended to prevent generation of second image sticking after generation of initial DC image sticking. An alignment film has a two-layer structure comprising an upper alignment film and a lower alignment film. The upper alignment film is an optical alignment film formed of a polyamide acid ester as a precursor. The lower alignment film has a lower resistance value than the upper alignment film and also has a low photoconductive property. The lower alignment film is formed not using, as a precursor, a polyamide acid using PMDA as the starting material but using, as a precursor, the polyamide acid containing a sulfonic acid group or a carboxylic group, whereby the difference of the resistance between portions undergoing or not undergoing light irradiation in the pixel is decreased and generation of second image sticking can be prevented.

Abstract: A conventional thin membrane of aerogel, although achieving a low refractive index, retains some difficulty when it is to be applied to display apparatuses or the like, because of its low strength. Membranes produced by other methods are difficult to simultaneously achieve low refractive index and sufficient strength. The present invention provides an anti-reflecting membrane which is formed at least on one side of a plate transmitting visible light, is composed of fine inorganic oxide particles and a binder, contains a number of pores inside, and has an arithmetic average surface roughness (Ra) below 6 nm. The present invention also provides preferred embodiments of the display apparatuses provided with the membrane.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display is provided which is capable of reducing the occurrence of defective display due to variations in the initial alignment direction of a liquid crystal alignment control film in a liquid crystal display of an IPS scheme, realizing the stable liquid crystal alignment, providing excellent mass productivity, and having high image quality with a higher contrast ratio. The liquid crystal display has a liquid crystal layer disposed between a pair of substrates, at least one of the substrates being transparent, and an alignment control film formed between the liquid crystal layer and the substrate. At least one of the alignment control films 109 comprises photoreactive polyimide and/or polyamic acid provided with an alignment control ability by irradiation of substantially linearly polarized light.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display is provided which is capable of reducing the occurrence of defective display due to variations in the initial alignment direction of a liquid crystal alignment control film in a liquid crystal display of an IPS scheme, realizing the stable liquid crystal alignment, providing excellent mass productivity, and having high image quality with a higher contrast ratio. The liquid crystal display has a liquid crystal layer disposed between a pair of substrates, at least one of the substrates being transparent, and an alignment control film formed between the liquid crystal layer and the substrate. At least one of the alignment control films 109 comprises photoreactive polyimide and/or polyamic acid provided with an alignment control ability by irradiation of substantially linearly polarized light.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes: a pair of substrates, at least one of which is transparent; a liquid crystal layer placed between the pair of substrates; an electrode group, formed on at least one of the pair of substrates, for applying an electric field to the liquid crystal layer; and an alignment control film placed on at least one of the pair of substrates, in which the alignment control film is formed of polyimide and a precursor of the polyimide, each of the polyimide and the precursor of the polyimide contains, as a material, a specific cyclobutanetetracarboxylic acid dianhydride derivative and aromatic diamine, and the alignment control film is provided with alignment capability by photo-alignment treatment.

Abstract: Provided is a liquid crystal display device having a structure in which one surface of the alignment film contacts a liquid crystal layer, the other surface of the alignment film contacts an underlying layer, the refractive index of the alignment film monotonically increases in a film thickness direction of the alignment film from a boundary surface between the liquid crystal layer and the alignment film to a boundary surface between the underlying layer and the alignment film, and the minimum refractive index nLC of the liquid crystal layer, the refractive index nF2 of the alignment film at the boundary surface between the liquid crystal layer and the alignment film, the refractive index nF1 of the alignment film at the boundary surface between the alignment film and the underlying layer, and the refractive index nS2 of the underlying layer have a relationship of an equation (I) in which nLC?nF2<nF1?nS2.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid crystal display device having a wide view angle, reduced power consumption and high quality with an absorption axis of a polarizing plate and an optical axis of a retardation plate made to coincide with high accuracy without using expensive equipment and complicated steps. On a transparent substrate 11 is formed a retardation film 21 that is self-organized due to irregularities on a surface of a metal wire 12 formed on a wire grid polarizer to thereby generate a retardation.

Abstract: This invention enables forming a photo-alignment film having a large LC anchoring strength in an IPS type liquid crystal display device. An alignment film is adapted to have a two-layer structure including a photo-alignment film and an alignment film with enhanced film strength. The photo-alignment film is formed of a precursor of polyamide acid ester, 80 percent or more of which is polyamide acid ester including cyclobutane. The alignment film with enhanced film strength is formed of a precursor of polyamide acid. After irradiating the substrate with ultraviolet light for photo-alignment, the substrate is heated. Thus, it is possible to achieve a high LC anchoring strength of the alignment film as the whole for photo-alignment, without degrading the mechanical strength of the alignment film with enhanced film strength.

Abstract: A glass substrate (101) being an active matrix substrate and a resin film substrate (102) being a counter electrode are opposingly arranged on a surface of an alignment layer 132, and a liquid crystal layer (110A) is arranged therebetween. Each of polarizing plates (118, 119) is formed on an outer surface of the glass substrate (101) and the resin film substrate (102) forming a counter electrode. An uniaxial absorption anisotropy is imparted to the resin film substrate (102).

Abstract: A liquid crystal display apparatus includes a white color light source and a coloring light source, a detection circuit which detects a brightness of an input image signal, an image quality processing calculation circuit, a light source control circuit, and an image control circuit. The coloring light source includes a blue light source. The image quality processing calculation circuit outputs to the light source control circuit a light source control signal for (1) increasing a light intensity of the coloring light source when an average luminance of the input image signal is detected to be higher than a predetermined luminance based on a detection result of the detection circuit, and for (2) turning-on only the white color light source without turning-on the coloring light source when the average luminance of the input image signal is detected to be lower than the predetermined luminance.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display device, comprising: a pair of substrates at least one of which is transparent; a liquid crystal layer arranged between the pair of substrates; a group of electrodes for applying an electric field to the liquid crystal layer, as formed on at least one substrate of the pair of substrates; a plurality of active elements connected to the group of electrodes; and an orientation film arranged on the pair of substrates, wherein at least one orientation film contains a polyimide having a specific chemical structure of any of an anionic organic acid except organic acids in the narrow sense, or an acid ester group of an anionic organic acid except organic acids in the narrow sense.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid crystal display device that has an excellent mass-productivity and gives an image improved by the reduction of the chromaticity difference between white display and black display, the reduction of coloring and luminance in black display, and the improvement of the contrast ratio. In the present invention, of a pair of alignment films 131 and 132 formed on a pair of substrates 101 and 102, respectively, the alignment film 132 formed on the glass substrate 102 on the observer side is made of a material obtained by adding a photoisomerized compound to a photosensitive polymer and has anisotropic absorption all over the visible light wavelength region (approximately 400 nm to 750 nm).

Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes: a pair of substrates at least one of which is transparent; a liquid crystal layer disposed between the pair of substrates; an electrode group formed on at least one substrate of the pair of substrates, for applying an electric field to the liquid crystal layer; a plurality of active elements connected to the electrode group; and a liquid crystal alignment film disposed on at least one substrate of the pair of substrates, in which the liquid crystal alignment film, which is formed by a photo-alignment process, contains polyimide formed using tetracarboxylic acid dianhydride and/or diamine each having a specific chemical structure.