Denso Corporation

Toppan Printing Co., Ltd.

Masashi Inata

Kahoru Mori

Katsuhiro Suzuki

Masaaki Ozaki

Takeshi Kohama

Nobuhiko Ohashi

Akiji Higuchi

A first electrode plate and a second electrode plate are overlapped on each other with a seal member and spacer walls interposed therebetween. The cell gap formed between both plates is filled with liquid crystal such as smectic liquid crystal. To eliminate orientation disturbance of the liquid crystal caused in the filling process, the liquid crystal flow coming from the down stream of the display area through passages outside the display area (turn-around flow) is eliminated. Dam walls for preventing the liquid crystal flow through the outer passages or structures for reducing the flow speed are formed in the outer passages. Alternatively, the filling passages in the display area are separated from the outer passages. Thus, the liquid crystal is correctly oriented in the display area, thereby achieving uniformity of images displayed.

Liquid crystal cell having filling passage preventing turn-around flow

A pair of electrode panels are supported by plural spacer walls made of photo-resist resin to form a cell gap between electrode panels. The cell gap is filled with liquid crystal, preferably, antiferroelectric liquid crystal. The spacer walls are formed on an orientation layer formed on either panel. A thin layer is also formed on the orientation layer together with formation of the spacer walls as a residual layer. The residual layer has to be sufficiently thin not to disturb orientation of the liquid crystal and to attain a sufficiently high display contrast. The thickness of the residual layer is indirectly detected by an X-ray electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA), and the residual layer is made sufficiently thin by setting a temperature of a preliminary baking process, which is carried out before formation of the spacer walls, in a proper range.

Liquid crystal cell and its manufacturing method

Growing community of inventors

Okazaki, Japan

Masashi Inata