Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

Other

Dera

Masaaki Kabe

Mitsuhiro Koden

Seiichi Mitsui

Hideki Uchida

Nobuyuki Itoh

Teiyu Sako

Michael John Towler

Paul Bonnett

Diana Cynthia Ulrich

Akira Tagawa

Mitsuhiro Shigeta

Akira Sakaigawa

Takashi Kaneko

Hisashi Akiyama

A display includes a polarizing member and a reflective display element behind an EL element. The EL element self-emits light to display information and doubles as a display-use light source for the reflective display element. In a sufficiently bright environment, ambient light enters a liquid crystal layer after passing through a frontal substrate of the reflective display element, and is reflected from a metal electrode to produce displays. In addition to the direct light from the EL element, light that enters the liquid crystal layer is simultaneously used. In a dark environment, the EL element emits light, and displayed contents are visible owing to the reflection from the metal electrode as well as directly exiting light. The structure makes it possible to provide a novel type of display that allows a user to select one of various display modes at his/her own discretion according to surrounding conditions and that also shows information in a clearly visible fashion, be it outdoors under clear skies or in a dark place, without giving up their thin, lightweight features.

Display

An optical control device in accordance with the present invention includes a substrate () with light output layers (); a substrate () with a light transmitting function, positioned opposite to the substrate (); and a liquid crystal () sandwiched between the substrates () and (), one of the substrates () and () having gate electrodes () for applying multiple scan signals, one of the substrates () and () having source electrodes for applying multiple signal electrodes, wherein the light output layers () are arranged in stripes and extend in the same direction as the gate electrodes ().

Light-control device and method of driving

An image display apparatus comprises a display section including picture elements for modulating light transmission or reflection, a driving section for performing an addressing scan of the picture elements in such a manner as to successively change light modulation states of the picture elements in each display frame, and a light emitting section for illuminating the display section. The light emitting section is switched ON-OFF once in each display frame, the addressing scan for the picture elements is performed in the OFF state of the light emitting section in each display frame, and the sequence of the addressing scan is reversed every one or more display frames.

Image display apparatus

On a transparent substrate, a photosensitive resin layer, which is made of an acrylic positive photosensitive resin layer, is formed so as to cover stripe-shaped conductive wires and a portion between the conductive wires. In this case, at least a part of the photosensitive resin layer, that covers the conductive wire, is removed. And then, a transparent conductive film is formed on the photosensitive resin layer and the conductive wire, and the transparent conductive film is patterned so as to form transparent electrodes. Such an electrode substrate can obtain high evenness when a height difference is at 0.11 &mgr;m or less between a projecting portion, which appears on the photosensitive resin layer around the ends of the conductive wires after the photosensitive resin layer has been removed so as to expose the conductive wire, and the virtually even surface of the resin film at a portion where the conductive wire is not formed, and a height difference is 0.11 &mgr;m or less between the projecting portion and the surface of the conductive wire. Consequently, it is possible to improve evenness of the electrode substrate in which the conductive wires are formed so as to be conductively contact with the transparent electrodes on the insulating layer.

Electrode substrate having particular projecting portion, manufacturing method thereof, and liquid crystal display element

A liquid crystal display element is formed by providing a liquid crystal layer made of ferroelectric liquid crystal material between electrode substrates. One of the electrode substrate is composed of a substrate, electrodes, an insulating film, and an alignment film, while the other substrate is composed of a substrate, electrodes, an insulating film, and an alignment plate. The alignment film is formed by mixing a substance with ionic bond in an alignment film material and thereafter applying the mixture on the paired substrates on each of which the electrodes and the insulating film are provided. With this arrangement, ions are eluted from the alignment films thus formed into the liquid crystal layer, thereby becoming dispersed therethrough homogeneously. This remarkably reduces influences of display history, and half-tone display with excellent response characteristics can be realized, being not affected by display history.

Liquid crystal display element and manufacturing method thereof

Reduction of ionic memory effect in ferroelectric liquid crystal material. A method of reducing the effects of ionic memory in a ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) material to which a switching pulse is applied comprises the steps of: a) adding an ionic dopant to the FLC material, the ionic dopant providing ions having a fast response to an applied electric field; and b) following said switching pulse by a first pulse of opposite polarity to said switching pulse, in such a way that said first pulse reduces any ionic reversal field created by said switching pulse, but does not destabilize the state to which the FLC material is switched by said switching pulse.

Reduction of ionic memory effect in ferroelectric liquid crystal material

A method of aligning a liquid crystal includes a step of fixing on a hot plate and heating a liquid crystal cell in which a liquid crystal composed of a ferroelectric liquid crystal material sealed between electrode substrates respectively having alignment films having applied thereto a uniaxial alignment by rubbing. According to the described method, a pressure is applied to the liquid crystal cell by a roller, and a portion subjected to an application of pressure is moved by moving the roller. Further, the liquid crystal is heated within a temperature range between a phase transition temperature of SmA phase SmC* phase and a temperature 10&deg; C. below the phase transition temperature, and the portion subjected to an application of pressure is moved in the same direction as the rubbing direction, thereby achieving the C,orientation at higher yield. Within the described temperature range, by moving the portion in an opposite direction to the rubbing direction, a C,orientation can be always achieved at high yield (almost 100%). As a result, the C,orientation can be surely achieved in the liquid crystal display element with ease.

Method for aligning liquid crystals, alignment device and liquid crystal display element

An electrode substrate is placed on a stage heated at temperature in a range of from 50.degree. to 200.degree. C. in such a manner that an alignment film of the electrode substrate faces upwards. Thereafter, a rubbing treatment is applied by a roller having the rubbing cloth wound therearound by moving a stage while rubbing the surface of the alignment film by rotating the roller in a state where the electrode substrate is sufficiently heated. Here, as the alignment film is softened by the described heat treatment, the rubbing process is facilitated. This permits a uniform C2 orientation without defects to be achieved in smectic liquid crystals.

Growing community of inventors

Atsugi, Japan

Masaaki Kabe