Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

Yutaka Sawayama

Kiyoshi Minoura

Sayuri Fujiwara

Makoto Kanbe

Ichiro Ihara

Shun Ueki

Takeshi Masuda

Naofumi Kimura

Yukihiro Sumida

Yasuhisa Itoh

Koji Taniguchi

Tsuyoshi Ebi

Ichiroh Ihara

Kohji Taniguchi

Yoshihiro Okada

Yutaka Ishii

Takayuki Shimada

Yoshitaka Yamamoto

Kazuhiko Tsuda

Atsushi Ban

Shigeaki Mizushima

Atsuhito Murai

Shinya Yamakawa

Masako Nakamura

Tetsuya Kida

Takafumi Kawanishi

Shunsuke Okadome

Daisuke Kitano

Hiroyuki Okazoe

Yoshiyuki Ihara

A display component includes a glass substrate GS including a display area AA and a non-display area NAA surrounding the display area AA, a color filteroverlapping a surface of the glass substrate GS in the display area AA, a CF board side alignment filmdisposed in at least the display area AA to cover the color filterand partially including a thickness variation portionthat gradually decreases thickness thereof toward an outer side, and a film forming control portiondisposed in the non-display area NAA to be next to the display area AA and overlapping the surface of the glass substrate GS and configured to form the CF board side alignment filmsuch that the thickness variation portionis in the non-display area NAA.

Display component including an alignment film having a thickness variation portion on a film forming control portion

Provided is a liquid crystal display panel which allows high quality display by suppressing a disturbance of liquid crystal molecule alignment caused by formation of liquid crystal alignment control protrusions. The liquid crystal display panel of the present invention is a liquid crystal display panel including a pair of substrates and a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the pair of substrates, one of the pair of the substrates including a colored layer, a light-shielding layer, and walled liquid crystal alignment control protrusions projecting toward the other substrate, the liquid crystal alignment control protrusions including a main protrusion and a secondary protrusion lower than the main protrusion, the secondary protrusion being provided on the colored layer along a borderline between the colored layer and the light-shielding layer, and the light-shielding layer having a narrower width in a region adjacent to the secondary protrusion.

Liquid crystal display panel

Provided is a liquid crystal display panel which allows high quality display by suppressing a disturbance of liquid crystal molecule alignment caused by formation of liquid crystal alignment control protrusions. The liquid crystal display panel of the present invention is a liquid crystal display panel including a pair of substrates and a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the pair of substrates, one of the pair of the substrates including a colored layer, a light-shielding layer, and walled liquid crystal alignment control protrusions projecting toward the other substrate, the liquid crystal alignment control protrusions including a main protrusion and a secondary protrusion lower than the main protrusion, and the secondary protrusion not being provided along a borderline between the colored layer and the light-shielding layer.

Provided is a liquid crystal display panel which allows high quality display by suppressing a disturbance of liquid crystal molecule alignment caused by formation of liquid crystal alignment control protrusions. The liquid crystal display panel of the present invention is a liquid crystal display panel including a pair of substrates and a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the pair of substrates, one of the pair of the substrates including a colored layer, a light-shielding layer, and walled liquid crystal alignment control protrusions projecting toward the other substrate, the liquid crystal alignment control protrusions including a main protrusion and a secondary protrusion lower than the main protrusion, the secondary protrusion being provided on the colored layer along a borderline between the colored layer and the light-shielding layer, and the total of the height of the secondary protrusion and that of the colored layer being substantially the same as the height of the light-shielding layer.

A reflection-type display device includes an optical modulation layer, a pair of substratesandbetween which the optical modulation layeris retained, an electrode structurefor causing pixel-by-pixel changes in the optical characteristics of the optical modulation layer. One of the pair of substrateshas a corner cube array composed of a plurality of corner cubes. The corner cube arrayhas a plurality of projectionsdefining an interval between the pair of substratesand, the plurality of projectionsbeing disposed in peak portions.

Reflection-type display device and method for producing the same

A front-illuminating device of the present invention, which is placed over the entire surface of an object to be illuminated such as a reflection-type liquid crystal display device when it is used, is provided with a light source and a light-directing body. The light-directing body has an incident surface on which light from the light source (light-source light) is made incident, a first light-releasing surface for releasing the light toward the object to be illuminated, and a second light-releasing surface which faces the first light-releasing surface and releases reflected light from the object to be illuminated. The second light-releasing surface is formed into a step shape in which slanting portions and flat portions are alternately placed. The light source light, released from the first light-releasing surface to the object to be illuminated, is reflected by the object to be illuminated and the reflected light is allowed to reach the observer from the first light-releasing surface through the flat portions. In this case, among the light-source light rays, the light components progressing in parallel with the flat portions are reflected by the slanting portions and directed to the object to be illuminated. Consequently, the present invention makes it possible to provide a brighter front-illuminating device in which the efficiency of use of the light-source light is improved.

Front illuminating device and a reflection-type liquid crystal display using such a device

A reflective display device includes: a light modulating layer; two substrates, between which the light modulating layer is interposed; and an electrode structure that changes the optical properties of the light modulating layer on a pixel-by-pixel basis. One of the two substrates includes a corner cube array in which a plurality of corner cubes are arranged. The corner cube array includes a principal surface that defines a retroreflective surface, a bottom, and a plurality of conductive members that are arranged between the principal surface and the bottom. A portion of the upper surface of each of the conductive members defines a part of the principal surface of the corner cube array. The part is located in a lowest-level portion of its associated corner cube including the lowest-level point thereof.

Reflective display device and method for fabricating the same

A reflection-type display deviceincludes: an active switch layerincluding a plurality of switching elements; a plurality of pixel electrodeseach connected to a corresponding one of the plurality of switching elements; a reflective layerformed between the active switch layerand the plurality of pixel electrodes; and a modulation layerprovided at a side of the pixel electrodesfacing a viewer, the modulation layerbeing capable of switching between a first state and a second state of respectively different optical characteristics. The reflective layeris connected to neither the plurality of switching elementsnor the plurality of pixel electrodes

Reflection type display device and method with pixel electrodes having predetermined dimensions and relationships to each other as to gap width therebetween on both short and long sides and pitch of cubic corner cubes

A display device includes a substrate, a circuit element, an interlayer film, and an electrode. The circuit element is provided on the substrate. The interlayer film is provided over the circuit element and includes an interlevel dielectric layer and an interconnecting member that runs through the interlevel dielectric layer. The electrode is provided on the interlayer film. The electrode and the circuit element are electrically connected together by way of the interconnecting member. The electrode on the interlayer film has a substantially uniform surface shape.

Display device and method for fabricating the display device

A method of making a micro corner cube array includes the steps of: preparing a substrate, at least a surface portion of which consists of cubic single crystals and which has a surface that is substantially parallel to {111} planes of the crystals; and etching the surface of the substrate anisotropically, thereby forming a plurality of unit elements for the micro corner cube array on the surface of the substrate. Each of these unit elements is made up of a number of crystal planes that have been formed at a lower etch rate than the {111} planes of the crystals.

Micro corner cube array, method of making the micro corner cube array and reflective type display device

A method of making a micro corner cube array includes the steps of: providing a substrate, at least a surface portion of which consists of cubic single crystals and which has a surface that is substantially parallel to {} planes of the crystals; and dry-etching the surface of the substrate anisotropically with an etching gas that is reactive with the substrate, thereby forming a plurality of unit elements of the micro corner cube array on the surface of the substrate. Each of the unit elements is made up of a number of crystal planes that have been etched at a lower etch rate than the {} planes of the crystals.

Micro corner cube array, method of making the micro corner cube array, and display device

A corner cube reflector includes a two-dimensional arrangement of unit elements. The unit elements are arranged at a pitch of 200 &#x3bc;m or less. As viewed in a direction from which incoming light is coming, each unit element has a peak point and a bottom point. A peak portion, including the peak point, has an excessive portion and/or a missing portion as compared with an ideal peak portion of an ideal corner cube. The level of the peak point is lower than that of the ideal peak point of the ideal corner cube. An average level difference hbetween the level of the bottom point and that of an ideal bottom point of the ideal corner cube is smaller than an average level difference hbetween the level of the peak point and that of the ideal peak point.

Corner cube reflector, method of making the reflector and reflective display device including the reflector

A method of making a micro corner cube array includes the steps of: providing a substrate, at least a surface portion of which consists of cubic single crystals and which has a surface that is substantially parallel to {111} planes of the crystals; and dry-etching the surface of the substrate anisotropically with an etching gas that is reactive with the substrate, thereby forming a plurality of unit elements of the micro corner cube array on the surface of the substrate. Each of the unit elements is made up of a number of crystal planes that have been etched at a lower etch rate than the {111} planes of the crystals.

Growing community of inventors

Tenri, Japan

Yutaka Sawayama