Abstract: A smectic liquid crystal material which comprises (1) an antiferroelectric liquid crystal material and/or a liquid crystal material ferroelectric phase and (2) a liquid crystal material having a smectic C phase. The smectic liquid crystal material may be used in a liquid crystal optical element having a spontaneous polarization of 0.06 nC/cm2 to 96 nC/cm2. The smectic material has a low spontaneous polarization value and the curve of light transmittance to applied voltage for the smectic material has a V-shaped characteristic.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display having satisfactory visibility in a wide viewing angle range is provided. A TFT array substrate of the liquid crystal display includes scanning electrodes and signal electrodes arranged in a matrix shape, thin-film transistors respectively disposed at intersections between the scanning electrodes and the signal electrodes, first pixel electrodes respectively connected to the signal electrodes via the thin-film transistors, connecting capacitor electrodes formed in a layer including gate electrodes of the thin-film transistors, and second pixel electrodes capacitively connected to the first pixel electrodes via the connecting capacitor electrodes. It is not necessary to use any additional process to form the second electrodes, leading to advantages that the product yield is improved and production cost is lowered. Each pixel is divided into plural areas having different directions of orientation and into plural areas being applied with different voltages.

Abstract: In a liquid crystal display apparatus comprising a twisted nematic liquid crystal sandwiched between a first substrate having a common electrode and a second substrate having a plurality of pixel electrodes, the twisted nematic liquid crystal having a splay distortion when no voltage is applied, a scan line is inserted between a pixel electrode and a signal electrode.

Abstract: A first polarizer and a second polarizer are located in an opposing relationship to each other on the optical axis of incident light with their polarization directions displaced from each other by a predetermined angle. A liquid crystal cell is arranged between the first polarizer and the second polarizer for rotation around the optical axis of the incident light. The incident light is introduced into the first polarizer while the liquid crystal cell is rotated. Transmission light, which is the incident light that has been transmitted successively through the first polarizer, the liquid crystal cell, and the second polarizer, is received by a photo-detector. The ratio between a variable component and a fixed component of the intensity of the transmission light is calculated. The cell gap of the liquid crystal cell is determined from the calculated ratio.