Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

Junichi Inukai

Shinya Kadono Kadono

Fumitoshi Yasuo

Takeshi Hara

Tomohiro Kosaka

Kenichi Kitoh

Juxian Li

A liquid crystal device includes a first substrate (TFT substrate) including a first dielectric substrate, a second substrate (slot substrate) including a second dielectric substrate, a liquid crystal layer provided between the first substrate and the second substrate and in all of an effective region and a portion of a non-effective region, a sealing seal portion configured to define the maximum value of the area of the liquid crystal layer when viewed from a normal direction of the first or second dielectric substrate, a cell gap control seal portion configured to define the minimum value of the thickness of the liquid crystal layer in the effective region, and a buffer portion provided in contact with the liquid crystal layer in the non-effective region and that deforms more easily due to external force than the first and second dielectric substrates in the effective region. The buffer portion includes a sheet and a joining section that joins the sheet and the first or second dielectric substrate. The sheet deforms more easily due to external force than the first and second dielectric substrates in the effective region, and/or at least a portion of the joining section deforms more easily due to external force than the cell gap control seal portion.

Scanned antenna and liquid crystal device

A scanning antenna includes a TFT substrate including a plurality of patch electrodes, a slot substrate including a slot electrode, and a liquid crystal layer provided between the TFT substrate and the slot substrate. The slot electrode includes a plurality of slots disposed corresponding to the plurality of patch electrodes and a solid portion not including the plurality of slot. When viewed from a normal direction of the substrate, the patch electrode is disposed across the slot in a first direction and overlaps the solid portion at both ends of the slot in each of a plurality of antenna units, and when viewed from the normal direction of the substrate, at least one of a periphery of the solid portion and a periphery of the patch electrode includes a recessed portion or a protruding portion in at least one antenna unit of the plurality of antenna units.

Scanned antenna and method of inspecting scanned antenna

A TFT substrate includes a dielectric substrate and a plurality of antenna unit regions arranged on the dielectric substrate. Each of the plurality of antenna unit regions has a TFT and a patch electrode electrically connected to the drain electrode of the TFT. The patch electrode includes a first electrode layer formed of the same conductive film as the gate electrode of the TFT and a second electrode layer formed of the same conductive film as the source electrode of the TFT.

TFT substrate, scanned antenna having TFT substrate, and method for manufacturing TFT substrate

A scanning antenna including a transmission and/or reception region including a plurality of antenna units arranged in the transmission and/or reception region and a non-transmission and/or reception region includes a TFT substrate including a plurality of first TFTs supported by a first dielectric substrate and a plurality of patch electrodes, a slot substrate including a slot electrode including a plurality of slots, a liquid crystal layer provided between the TFT substrate and the slot substrate, and a plurality of inspection electrode sections disposed while not overlapping the plurality of antenna units when viewed from a normal direction of the first dielectric substrate. Each of a plurality of inspection electrode sections includes a second TFT supported by the TFT substrate and including a source electrode connected to the source bus line and a gate electrode connected to the gate bus line, a transparent electrode supported by the TFT substrate and connected to a drain electrode of the second TFT, and a slot electrode extending while opposing the transparent electrode with the liquid crystal layer interposed therebetween.

Growing community of inventors

Sakai, Japan

Junichi Inukai