Nippon Oil Corporation

Jx Nippon Oil Energy Corporation

Tetsuya Uesaka

Satoru Ikeda

Yuji Takahashi

Takuya Matsumoto

Takashi Seki

Takehiro Toyooka

Hitoshi Mazaki

Eiji Yoda

Yoshihiro Kumagai

Akio Mutou

Suzushi Nishimura

Shinichi Komatsu

Hisashi Sone

Takeshi Koike

Akira Masaki

A retardation film, formed by stretching a film having a norbornene-based ring-opening copolymer containing a structural unit (A) represented by the general formula (1) and a structural unit (B) represented by the general formula (2), wherein the content of structural unity (A) is not less than 5 mol % but not more than 95 mol % relative to the total amount of structural units (A) and (B).

Retardation film, and organic EL display device and liquid crystal display device using the same

An elliptical polarizer with excellent viewing angle characteristics is provided which comprises at least a first polarizer, a first optical anisotropic layer, a second optical anisotropic layer, and a third optical anisotropic layer, laminated in this order, wherein the first optical anisotropic layer satisfies [1] 50&#x2266;Re&#x2266;500, the second optical anisotropic layer satisfies [2] 0&#x2266;Re&#x2266;20 and [3] &#x2212;500&#x2266;Rth&#x2266;&#x2212;30, and the third optical anisotropic layer satisfies [4] 100&#x2266;Re&#x2266;180 wherein Re and Rth indicate the retardation values in the plane and thickness direction, respectively, of each of the optical anisotropic layers.

Elliptical polarizer and vertical alignment type liquid crystal display device comprising the same

An elliptical polarizer is provided having excellent viewing angle improving effects. The elliptical polarizer includes a polarizer, a first optical anisotropic layer, and a second optical anisotropic layer, laminated in this order. The first optical anisotropic layer satisfies the requirements of 0.8&#x2266;NZ1&#x2266;1.6 and 120&#x2266;Re1&#x2266;250 and is disposed so that the slow axis thereof is orthogonal to the absorption axis of the polarizer. The second optical anisotropic layer is a liquid crystal film having a retardation value in the plane of 30 to 150 nm with respect to a 550 nm wavelength light and fixed in a nematic hybrid alignment wherein the average tilt angle of the liquid crystal molecules of a liquid crystalline polymer exhibiting a positive optical uniaxiality, and is disposed so that the aligned direction thereof is parallel to the absorption axis of the first polarizer. The elliptical polarizer is used in a TN type liquid crystal display device so that the second optical anisotropic layer is disposed on the liquid crystal cell side.

Liquid crystal display device having an elliptical polarizer with first and second anisotropic layers

A homeotropic alignment liquid crystal film is provided with a liquid crystalline substance containing a side chain liquid crystalline compound having an oxetanyl group, as a constituent, aligned homeotropically on an alignment substrate while being in a liquid crystal state and fixed in the homeotropic alignment by allowing the oxetanyl group to react. Thus, the homeotropic alignment liquid crystal film can be stably produced without necessitating a complicated step such as light irradiation under an inert gas atmosphere and is excellent in alignment retainability after being fixed in the homeotropic alignment and in mechanical strength.

Homeotropic alignment liquid crystal film, optical film comprising the same, and image display device

The present invention provides an elliptical polarizer with excellent viewing angle characteristics. The elliptical polarizer comprises at least a first polarizer, a first optically anisotropic layer, a second optically anisotropic layer, and a third optically anisotropic layer, laminated in this order, the first optically anisotropic layer satisfying [1] 50&#x2266;Re1&#x2266;500, [2] 30&#x2266;Rth1&#x2266;750, and [3] 0.6&#x2266;Rth1/Re1&#x2266;1.5, the second optically anisotropic layer satisfying [4] 0&#x2266;Re2&#x2266;20 and [5] &#x2212;500&#x2266;Rth2&#x2266;&#x2212;30, and the third optically anisotropic layer satisfying [6] 100&#x2266;Re3&#x2266;180, [7] 50&#x2266;Rth3&#x2266;600, and [8] 0.5&#x2266;Rth3/Re3&#x2266;3.5, wherein Re indicates the retardation value in the plane of each optically anisotropic layer and Rth indicates the retardation value in the thickness direction of each optically anisotropic layer.

Elliptical polarizer and vertical alignment type liquid crystal display device using the same

The present invention provides a transparent liquid crystal display device which is less in display characteristics and viewing angle dependency and can provide bright images and high contrasts. The transparent liquid crystal display device comprises at least: a backlight; a polarizer; a second optical anisotropic layer with a retardation of 50 to 180 nm at a wavelength of 550 nm; a first optical anisotropic layer with a retardation of 20 to 140 nm at a wavelength of 550 nm; a homogeneously aligned liquid crystal cell comprising upper and lower substrates facing each other and a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the upper and lower substrates; a third optical anisotropic layer with a retardation of 50 to 200 nm at a wavelength of 550 nm; and a polarizer, arranged in piles in this order from the backlight, wherein the first optical anisotropic layer comprising at least a liquid crystal film with a fixed nematic hybrid liquid crystal alignment structure.

Transmissive liquid crystal display device

The present invention provides a transmissive liquid crystal display device which is less in display characteristics fluctuations, bright in display images, high in contrast and less in viewing angle dependency and comprises a backlight, a polarizer, a second optically anisotropic layer, a first optically anisotropic layer, a homogeneously aligned liquid crystal cell comprising upper and lower substrates facing each other and a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the upper and lower substrates, and a polarizer, arranged in piles in this order from the backlight, wherein a liquid crystal film forming the first optically anisotropic layer, a liquid crystal film forming the second optically anisotropic layer and the liquid crystal cell have a predetermined relationship in the wavelength dispersion of birefringence, the first optically anisotropic layer, the second optically anisotropic layer and the liquid crystal cell upon application of an electric voltage for black image display, have a predetermined relationship in retardation, and the first optically anisotropic layer comprises a liquid crystal film with a fixed nematic hybrid orientation.

The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device comprising at least: a backlight; a polarizer; a first optically anisotropic layer with a retardation of 210 to 300 nm at a wavelength of 550 nm; a second optically anisotropic layer with a retardation of 50 to 140 nm at a wavelength of 550 nm; a third optically anisotropic layer with negative optical anisotropy; a liquid crystal cell comprising upper and lower substrates facing each other and a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the upper and lower substrates; a fourth optically anisotropic layer with a retardation of 50 to 140 nm at a wavelength of 550 nm; a first optically anisotropic layer with a retardation of 210 to 300 nm at a wavelength of 550 nm; and a polarizer, arranged in piles in this order from the backlight, the second optically anisotropic layer comprising at least a liquid crystal film with a fixed nematic hybrid liquid crystal orientation structure. The liquid crystal display device provides bright images and is high in contrast and less in viewing angle dependency.

Liquid crystal display device

The present invention provides a transmissive liquid crystal display device which is less in variation in displaying characteristics, bright in displaying image, high in contrast and less in viewing angle dependency. The liquid crystal display comprises at least a specific first optically anisotropic layer with a fixed nematic hybrid orientation structure and a specific second optically anisotropic layer.

A transmissive liquid crystal display device comprises at least a backlight, a polarizer, a first optically anisotropic layer with a retardation of 50 to 140 nm at a wavelength of 550 nm, a second optically anisotropic layer with negative retardation, a homogeneously oriented liquid crystal cell comprising upper and lower substrates facing each other and a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the upper and lower substrates, a third optically anisotropic layer with a retardation of 130 to 210 nm at a wavelength of 550 nm; and a polarizer, arranged in piles in this order from the backlight, the first optically anisotropic layer comprising at least a liquid crystal film with a fixed nematic hybrid liquid crystal orientation structure, and is less in display characteristic variation, bright in display, high in contrast, and less in viewing angle dependence.

A transflective liquid crystal display has a first substrate having a transparent electrode, a second substrate having a transflective electrode, a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first and second substrates, a first optical anisotropic element arranged on the first substrate, and a second optical anisotropic element arranged on the second substrate and having a liquid crystal film. An angle within the range of 0 to 30 degrees is formed by a tilt direction defined by a projection direction of a director of a liquid crystalline polymer molecule on a surface of the liquid crystal film to which an angle of the director of the liquid crystalline polymer molecule is smaller and a pre-tilt direction defined by a projection direction of a director of a liquid crystalline molecule on an interface between liquid crystal of the liquid crystal layer and a surface of the first substrate.

Translucent reflective liquid crystal display

A liquid crystal display device has a liquid crystal cell, a liquid crystalline substance layer, a pair of polarizers, and an optical compensation element. The twist angle of the liquid crystal cell is set to 180 to 270 degrees. The optical compensation element has a twisted structure twisted in the opposite direction to that of the liquid crystal cell. The difference in the absolute values of the twist angles between the liquid crystal cell and the optical compensation element is from 40 to 100 degrees. The difference in retardation at a wavelength &#x3bb;=550 nm between the liquid crystal cell and the optical compensation element is from 100 to 250 nm. When the absolute values of the differences in retardation at wavelengths &#x3bb; of 400 nm and 550 nm between the liquid crystal cell and the optical compensation element are represented by &#x394;R(400) and &#x394;R(550), respectively, and the ratio D therebetween is represented by D=&#x394;R(400)/&#x394;R(550), D is within the range of 0.5 to 1.0.

Liquid crystal cell with twist angle from 180 to 270 degrees and twisted optical compensating element

A transflective liquid crystal display has a liquid crystal cell having a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between a pair of transparent substrates each provided with an electrode. A first polarizer is disposed on a viewer's side of the cell. At least one optical retardation compensator is disposed between the polarizer and the cell. A transflector is disposed behind the viewer's side of the liquid crystal layer. A circular polarizer is provided behind the viewer's side of the transflector. The circular polarizer comprises a second polarizer and an optical anisotropic element having a phase difference of approximately &#xbc; wavelength in the visible light region. The optical anisotropic element has a liquid crystal film with a fixed nematic hybid orientation structure and a stretched film.

Circular polarization plate and liquid crystal display device

A transflective liquid crystal display providing a bright displayed image of high contrast in the transmission mode with less dependence on the viewing angle by combining a polarizer with an optically anisotropic element having a liquid crystal film in which a twisted nematic alignment stricture is secured to produce a circular polarizer and disposing the circular polarizer on the rear side of a transflector in the transflective liquid crystal display.

Growing community of inventors

Yokohama, Japan

Tetsuya Uesaka