Fujifilm Corporation

Keisuke Kodama

Shunya Katoh

Satoshi Sano

Yuta Takahashi

Yuki Fukushima

Yuko Suzuki

Koji Hironaka

Shinpei Yoshida

Sotaro Inomata

Kuniyuki Kaminaga

Akira Maruyama

Kazuomi Inoue

Yukito Saitoh

Mitsuyoshi Ichihashi

Yuta Fukushima

Hiroyuki Hagio

Tetsufumi Takamoto

Satoshi Yanokuchi

Hiroshi Sato

Katsumi Sasata

Ichiro Nagata

Yuki Nakamura

Yujiro Yanai

Tetsu Kitamura

Takeharu Tani

Takashi Yonemoto

Hiroshi Inada

Takeshi Narita

Fumitake Mitobe

Yusuke Iizuka

Akihito Amao

Morihito Ikeda

Yoshinori Maeda

Akihiro Sugita

Masataka Sato

Megumi Okubo

Tetsuro Otsuka

Kimiko Iwahashi

Yuusuke Iizuka

Nagisa Toihara

Takeshi Nakamori

Naoto Yanase

Kentaro Yamura

Ryoko Agui

Provided is a method for producing an optically anisotropic layer, with a polarizer, which has a plurality of regions in which alignment states of a liquid crystal compound are fixed and different from one another; laminate, with a polarizer; and a composition. The method includes: 1) forming a composition layer containing a chiral agent containing at least a photosensitive chiral agent and a polymerizable liquid crystal compound on a substrate, 2) subjecting the composition layer to a heat treatment, 3) subjecting the composition layer to light irradiation under oxygen concentration of 1% by volume or more, after step 2), and 4) subjecting the composition layer to a curing treatment to form an optically anisotropic layer, and 5) carrying out step 3) under heating conditions, or subjecting the composition layer to a heat treatment between step 3) and step 4), with a predetermined amount of chiral agent.

Method for producing optically anisotropic layer, method for producing laminate, method for producing optically anisotropic layer with polarizer, method for producing laminate with polarizer, composition, and optically anisotropic layer

An object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a cholesteric liquid crystal layer, which is capable of freely controlling a tilt angle of an arrangement direction of bright portion and dark portion derived from a cholesteric liquid crystalline phase with respect to a normal line of a main surface of the cholesteric liquid crystal layer; a cholesteric liquid crystal layer; an optically anisotropic body; and a reflective film. The method for producing a cholesteric liquid crystal layer according to the present invention includes a step X of forming a cholesteric liquid crystal layer A in which a liquid crystal compound is aligned into a state of a cholesteric liquid crystalline phase, satisfying all of the conditions 1 to 3, and a step Y of carrying out a treatment to increase or decrease a helical pitch of the cholesteric liquid crystalline phase in the cholesteric liquid crystal layer A obtained by the step X to increase or decrease a tilt angle of an arrangement direction of bright portion and dark portion derived from the cholesteric liquid crystalline phase, as observed in a cross-section perpendicular to a main surface of the cholesteric liquid crystal layer A, with respect to a normal direction of the main surface of the cholesteric liquid crystal layer A.

Method for producing cholesteric liquid crystal layer, cholesteric liquid crystal layer, optically anisotropic body, and reflective film

Provided is an optically anisotropic layer formed of a liquid crystal compound, which includes first and second layers in direct contact along a thickness direction, an alignment state of the liquid crystal compound in the first layer is different from the second layer, and the optically anisotropic layer satisfies a relationship of Expression (2A) Xmax/Xmin<1.10 where a region within a square having a largest size that can be drawn on a surface of the optically anisotropic layer is subdivided into 64 square-shaped sub-regions having the same area, a thickness d1 of the first layer and a thickness d2 of the second layer at a center position of the sub-region are obtained, X represented by Expression (1) X=d1/(d1+d2) for each sub-region is calculated, and among the calculated 64 X's, a maximum value is defined as Xmax and a minimum value is defined as Xmin.

Optically anisotropic layer

Provided are a backlight unit and a liquid crystal display device including the backlight unit, the backlight unit being capable of switching between viewing angles in the liquid crystal display device and having a configuration in which the brightness values of emitted light on the '+' side and the “−” side at a polar angle with respect to the normal line are symmetric to each other. The backlight unit includes: a light guide plate; a first light source that guides light into the light guide plate from a long side or a short side of the light guide plate; a second light source that guides light into the light guide plate from a side of the light guide plate different from that of the first light source; a first diffraction element that is provided on one main surface of the light guide plate and diffracts only light emitted from one of the first light source or the second light source; a second diffraction element that is provided on another main surface of the light guide plate and diffracts only light emitted from another one of the first light source or the second light source; and a reflection plate that is provided on a surface of the light guide plate opposite to a light emission surface.

Backlight unit and liquid crystal display device

The present invention provides a compound having an excellent rate of change in HTP due to exposure. The present invention further provides a composition formed of the compound, a cured product, an optically anisotropic body, and a reflective film. The compound of the present invention is a compound represented by General Formula (1).

Compound, composition, cured product, optically anisotropic body, and reflective film

A compound represented by the General Formula (I) as defined herein, in which, in the General Formula (I), Pand Peach independently represent a hydrogen atom, —CN, —NCS, or a polymerizable group, Spand Speach independently represent a single bond or a divalent linking group as defined herein, Z, Zand Zeach independently represent a particular linking group as defined herein, Xand Xeach independently represent a single bond or —S as defined herein, k represents an integer of 2 to 4, m and n each independently represent an integer of 0 to 3 as defined herein, A, A, A, and Aeach independently represent a particular group as defined herein is provided.

Compound, composition, cured substance, optically anisotropic body, optical element, and light guide element

The present invention provides a compound having an excellent amount of change in HTP and an excellent HTP saturation rate during exposure, and a liquid crystal composition including the compound. The compound of the present invention is a compound represented by General Formula (A).(Y)-G-(X)   (A) G represents a group represented by General Formula (B-1) or a group represented by General Formula (B-2), * represents a bonding position, and X and Y represent a predetermined group.

Compound and liquid crystal composition

A compound has an excellent rate of change in HTP caused by exposure. A liquid crystal composition is formed of the compound. A cured product, an optically anisotropic body, and a reflective film can be obtained by curing the liquid crystal composition. The compound is represented by General Formula (1):

Compound, liquid crystal composition, cured product, optically anisotropic body, and reflective film

A compound having an excellent rate of change in HTP caused by exposure is achieved and is represented by General Formula (1). In addition, a composition is formed of the compound, and a cured product, an optically anisotropic body, or a reflective film is obtained by curing the composition.

Provided is an optical film with a resin substrate adhered to an optically anisotropic layer and suppression of occurrence of optical defects in the optically anisotropic layer. The optical film has a resin substrate having an alignment regulating force and an optically anisotropic layer arranged thereon, in which the optically anisotropic layer contains a liquid crystal compound and a compound having a heteroatom different from the liquid crystal compound, and in a case where a surface of the optical film on an optically anisotropic layer side thereof is a first surface and a surface of the optical film on a resin substrate side thereof is a second surface, and components of the optical film in a depth direction are analyzed by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry while irradiating the optical film with an ion beam from the first surface toward the second surface, the obtained profile satisfies a predetermined requirement.

Optical film

The present invention provides an optically anisotropic layer which has a plurality of regions in which alignment states of a liquid crystal compound are different in a thickness direction and in which peeling is unlikely to occur in the layer. The optically anisotropic layer of the present invention is an optically anisotropic layer formed of a liquid crystal compound, in which the optically anisotropic layer contains a leveling agent and satisfies a predetermined requirement in a profile of a secondary ion intensity derived from the leveling agent in a depth direction, which is obtained by analyzing components of the optically anisotropic layer in a depth direction by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry while irradiating the optically anisotropic layer with an ion beam from one surface of the optically anisotropic layer to the other surface of the optically anisotropic layer.

An optically anisotropic film is formed of a liquid crystal composition including a liquid crystal compound and has a liquid crystal alignment pattern in which a direction of an optical axis derived from the liquid crystal compound changes while continuously rotating in at least one in-plane direction of the optically anisotropic film, and the optically anisotropic film satisfies predetermined requirements.

Optically anisotropic film, optical element, and optical system

Provided is a liquid crystal composition capable of forming an optically anisotropic layer, and method thereof, in which a variation in a twisted angle of liquid crystal compound in an in-plane direction is suppressed an optical film, and a circularly polarizing plate for an organic EL display. The liquid crystal composition contains a liquid crystal, optically active compound A which is a photosensitive optically active compound whose helical twisting power changes upon irradiation with light and has a molar absorption coefficient of 5,000 M&#xb7;cmor more with respect to light having a wavelength of 365 nm, and an optically active compound B having a molar absorption coefficient with respect to light having a wavelength of 365 nm smaller than the molar absorption coefficient of the optically active compound A, in which a mass content ratio of the optically active compound A to the liquid crystal compound is less than 0.01.

Liquid crystal composition, optical film, circularly polarizing plate for organic EL display, and method for producing optically anisotropic layer

Provided are a cholesteric liquid crystal layer having an excellent reflection anisotropy, a low haze, and a high circular polarization degree of reflected light, and a method for producing the same. In addition, provided are a laminate, an optically anisotropic body, and a reflective film, each of which including the cholesteric liquid crystal layer. A cholesteric liquid crystal layer formed using a liquid crystal compound, in which, in at least one main plane out of a pair of main planes of the cholesteric liquid crystal layer, a direction of a molecular axis of the liquid crystal compound changes while continually rotating along at least one in-plane direction, the molecular axis of the liquid crystal compound is tilted with respect to the main plane of the cholesteric liquid crystal layer, and an arrangement direction of bright portions and dark portions derived from the cholesteric liquid crystalline phase, as observed under a scanning electron microscope in a cross section perpendicular to the main plane, is tilted with respect to the main plane of the cholesteric liquid crystal layer.

Cholesteric liquid crystal layer, laminate, optically anisotropic body, reflective film, method for producing cholesteric liquid crystal layer, anti-counterfeit medium, and determination method

Provided are a liquid crystal diffraction element which exhibits low scattering and high sharpness of diffracted light, and a method for producing the same. A liquid crystal diffraction element having an alignment film which has a periodic pattern and also having a cholesteric liquid crystal layer, in which: the periodic pattern is imparted to the alignment film as a result of alignment elements having different tilt angles being periodically arranged in the alignment film or the alignment elements being arranged in a manner such that the azimuth direction thereof swings in one in-plane direction; the direction of the molecular axis of a liquid crystal compound changes while continuously rotating and in at least one in-plane direction on at least one main surface among the pair of main surfaces of the cholesteric liquid crystal layer; the molecular axis of the liquid crystal compound is tilted with respect to the main surfaces of the cholesteric liquid crystal layer; and an arrangement direction of bright portion and dark portion derived from the cholesteric liquid crystalline phase observed by a scanning electron microscope in a cross section perpendicular to the main surfaces is tilted with respect to the main surfaces of the cholesteric liquid crystal layer.

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Keisuke Kodama