Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

Merck Patent Gmbh

Jnc Corporation

Isamu Miyake

Koichi Miyachi

Hiroaki Asagi

Toshihiro Matsumoto

Yuko Teraoka

Masanobu Mizusaki

Hiroshi Tsuchiya

Tsuyoshi Okazaki

Akira Hirai

Takashi Katayama

Shinichi Terashita

Tomohiko Mori

Kei Shinada

Iichiroh Inoue

Yuichi Kawahira

Shinichi Hirato

Fumitaka Kondo

Youichiro Ooki

The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device that, with photo-alignment films, can maintain a favorable voltage holding ratio for a long period of time and prevent generation of image sticking and stains on the display screen. The liquid crystal display device includes: an active-matrix liquid crystal panel; and a backlight, the liquid crystal panel including a liquid crystal layer, paired substrates holding the liquid crystal layer in between, and alignment films disposed on the liquid crystal layer side surfaces of the respective substrates, the alignment films each being a photo-alignment film formed from a material exhibiting photo-alignment performance, the liquid crystal layer containing a liquid crystal material and a radical scavenger.

Liquid crystal display device

A method for manufacturing a liquid crystal panel includes irradiating a film of a photo-alignment film material formed on a surface of a substrate with light emitted from a light source and polarized by polarizers, the polarized light irradiation being performed while the substrate and/or the light source is moved, each of the polarizers including a polarized light transmissive region and a light-shielding region that surrounds the polarized light transmissive region, the polarized light transmissive region including end portions where the width of the polarized light transmissive region in a Y direction decreases toward the ends in an X direction, the polarizers being coupled with each other such that at least one end portion of each polarized light transmissive region is superimposed on an end portion of an adjacent polarized light transmissive region as viewed in the Y direction, wherein the X direction and the Y direction are perpendicular to each other in a plane parallel to the main surfaces of the polarizers, and the Y direction is a moving direction of the substrate relative to the light source.

Method for manufacturing liquid crystal panel, method for manufacturing retardation plate, and wire grid polarizing plate

A liquid crystal cell includes a TFT substrate including a first dielectric substrate, TFTs supported by the first dielectric substrate, and patch electrodes electrically connected to the TFTs, a slot substrate including a second dielectric substrate and a slot electrode including slots and supported by the second dielectric substrate, and a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the TFT substrate and the slot substrate that are disposed such that the patch electrodes and the slot electrode face each other. Liquid crystal molecules included in the liquid crystal layer are oriented in all azimuthal angle directions in a state in which voltage is not applied between the patch electrodes and the slot electrode.

Liquid crystal cell and scanning antenna

A liquid crystal cell according to the present invention includes: a TFT substrate including a first dielectric substrate, TFTs supported on the first dielectric substrate, and patch electrodes electrically connected to the TFTs; a slot substrate including a second dielectric substrate and a slot electrode including slots supported on the second dielectric substrate; a liquid crystal layer interposed between the TFT substrate and the slot substrate which are arranged in a form in which the patch electrode and the slot electrode face each other; antenna units each including one of the patch electrodes and the slot electrode including at least one of the slots arranged corresponding to the one of the patch electrodes; and alignment films formed on surfaces of both of the TFT substrate and the slot substrate facing the liquid crystal layer, made of a polyimide-based resin, and having a relative dielectric constant of 3.8 or more.

A liquid crystal panel P according to the present invention includes: a liquid crystal layer LC; and a pair of first and second substratesanddisposed with the liquid crystal layer LC interposed therebetween and including an alignment film M formed on a surface of each of the first and second substrates facing the liquid crystal layer, or a surface of any one of the first and second substrates facing the liquid crystal layer. The alignment film M contains a carboxyl group-containing polymer containing a carboxyl group. The liquid crystal compound constituting the liquid crystal layer LC contains at least one selected from the group consisting of a cyano group, a heterocyclic ring, &#x2014;OCF&#x2014;, a carbon-carbon triple bond and a trifluoromethyl group, contains an aliphatic alkyl group at a terminal thereof, and does not contain an isothiocyanate group. Antenna units are arranged.

Liquid crystal panel and scanning antenna

A liquid crystal cell including multiple antenna units includes a TFT board that includes a first dielectric substrate, TFTs on the first dielectric substrate, and patch electrodes electrically connected to the TFTs, a slot board that includes a second dielectric substrate and a slot electrode having slots on the second dielectric substrate, a conductive alignment film having conductivity on at least one of the patch electrodes and the slot electrode, and a liquid crystal layer disposed between the TFT board and the slot board with the patch electrodes and the slot electrode facing each other. The liquid crystal layer includes liquid crystal molecules that are horizontally aligned with respect to the TFT board and the slot board while no voltage is being applied across the patch electrodes and the slot electrode.

A scanning antennaaccording to the present invention is a scanning antennain which antenna units U are arranged, and includes a thin film transistor (TFT) substratethat includes a first dielectric substrate, TFTsand patch electrodessupported by the first dielectric substrate, and a first alignment film Mdisposed so as to cover the patch electrodesand other elements, a slot substratethat includes a second dielectric substrate, a slot electrodesupported by the second dielectric substrateand including slots, and a second alignment film Mdisposed so as to cover the slot electrode, a liquid crystal layer LC that is interposed between the TFT substrateand the slot substrateof which the alignment films Mand Mface each other, and a reflective conductive platethat is disposed so as to face an opposite surfaceof the second dielectric substratewith a dielectric layerinterposed therebetween. The first alignment film Mand the second alignment film Mare acrylic alignment films containing an acrylic polymer.

Scanning antenna and method of producing scanning antenna

A liquid crystal alignment agent according to the present invention includes: an alignment film forming material; and an organic solvent. The organic solvent contains a compound which has at least two functional groups selected from the group consisting of a methylene group, a methyl group, an ether group, a ketone group, and a hydroxyl group, and does not contain a nitrogen atom.

Liquid crystal alignment agent, liquid crystal panel, and scanning antenna

A method of producing a liquid crystal cell includes: a thin-film forming step of forming, on a surface of one electrode-attached substrates including a TFT substrate and a slot substrate, the TFT substrate including a first dielectric substrate, TFTs, and patch electrodes electrically connected to the TFTs, the slot substrate including a second dielectric substrate and a slot electrode supported on the second dielectric substrate and having slots, a thin film so as to cover the patch electrodes and/or the slot electrode; and a light irradiating step of irradiating the thin film with light including p-polarized light to provide the thin film with alignment-regulating capability of aligning liquid crystal molecules to thereby obtain an alignment film. The thin film includes a polymer including a photoreactive functional group and exhibiting the alignment-regulating capability of the thin film in a direction orthogonal to a polarization axis of the p-polarized light.

Method of producing liquid crystal cell, and liquid crystal cell

A liquid crystal cell in which antenna units are arrayed includes a TFT substrate, a slot substrate, an alignment film, and a liquid crystal layer. The TFT substrate includes a first dielectric substrate, TFTs supported by the first dielectric substrate, and patch electrodes electrically connected to the TFTs. The slot substrate includes a second dielectric substrate and a slot electrode including slots supported by the second dielectric substrate. The alignment film is provided on a surface of at least either each of the patch electrodes or the slot electrode. The alignment film includes a metal oxide film at the foremost surface of the alignment film. The liquid crystal layer is sandwiched between the TFT substrate and the slot substrate and contains liquid crystal molecules that are aligned parallel to the TFT substrate and the slot substrate when no voltage is applied between the patch electrode and the slot electrode.

A scanning antenna is a scanning antenna in which antenna units are arranged, including a TFT substrate provided with a first dielectric substrate, a TFT, a gate bus line, a source bus line, patch electrodes, and a first alignment film covering the patch electrodes; a slot substrate provided with a second dielectric substrate, a slot electrode, and a second alignment film covering the slot electrode; a liquid crystal layer provided between the TFT substrate and the slot substrate; and a reflective conductive plate. The slot electrode includes slots disposed corresponding to each of the patch electrodes. A sealing portion includes a main sealing portion that defines at least one injection port. Given, among directions orthogonal to a sealing pattern of the main sealing portion in the injection port, a direction from the injection port toward the liquid crystal layer as a flow direction, and a region of the liquid crystal layer close to the injection port and including a region extending in the flow direction from the injection port as a first region, angles between the flow direction and each of an orientation direction regulated by the first alignment film in the first region and an orientation direction regulated by the second alignment film in the first region are 20&#xb0; or less or 160&#xb0; or greater.

Scanning antenna and method of manufacturing scanning antenna

A liquid crystal display device according to the present invention has a display area that includes a plurality of pixels (Px). The display area is made up of n kinds of domains (where n is an integer that is equal to or greater than two and equal to or smaller than four). The directors of the n kinds of domains define mutually different alignment directions. If the domain structure of each pixel (Px) is defined by the kinds of the domains that form the pixel (Px), the number k of the kinds of the domains that form the pixel (Px), and the arrangement of the domains in the pixel (Px), the display area includes a pixel, of which k is less than n and of which the domain structure is different from the domain structures of adjacent pixels.

The present invention is a liquid crystal display device including a first polarizer, a first protective layer, a first substrate, a first optical alignment film, a liquid crystal layer, a second optical alignment film, a second substrate including a signal electrode and an opposite electrode, a second protective layer, a second polarizer in this order, in which the layers satisfy the relationship nx=ny&#x2265;nz, an in-plane retardation of each of optical alignment films is greater than or equal to 1 nm, given that Ris a thickness-direction retardation of each of the protective layers and that Ris the in-plane retardation of each of optical alignment films, the relationship R&#x2264;0.047R&#x2212;2.1R+44.3 is satisfied, the liquid crystal layer has a positive dielectric anisotropy, and a transmission axis of the second polarizer is perpendicular to an initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal molecules.

The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device that maintains a sufficient voltage holding ratio over a long period of time even when a liquid crystal panel having a narrower frame is used and that undergoes no burn-in or no stains on a display screen. The liquid crystal display device of the present invention includes an active-matrix liquid crystal panel and a backlight, wherein the liquid crystal panel includes a liquid crystal layer, a pair of substrates between which the liquid crystal layer is sandwiched, alignment layers disposed on surfaces of the pair of substrates facing the liquid crystal layer, and a seal part that bonds the pair of substrates to each other and that is disposed around the liquid crystal layer, and the liquid crystal panel is formed by a liquid crystal one-drop fill process, wherein the liquid crystal layer includes a liquid crystal material and at least one of a radical scavenger and an antioxidant, and the seal part has a width of 0.6 mm or less at least in part.

Growing community of inventors

Sakai, Japan

Isamu Miyake