Liquid crystal display and its manufacturing method

Abstract

A liquid crystal display includes two substrates and a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the substrates and performs display by changing the orientation of the liquid crystal layer from a splay orientation to a bend orientation. Application of a voltage of less than a threshold voltage to the liquid crystal layer allows the liquid crystal layer to have a region where liquid crystal molecules parallel to the substrates predominantly lie on one substrate side and a region where those liquid crystal molecules predominantly lie on the other substrate side, and the two regions are present in substantially equal proportions. In a similar liquid crystal display, the absolute value of a pretilt angle of the liquid crystal molecules in the vicinity of one substrate differs from the absolute value of a pretilt angle of the liquid crystal molecules in the vicinity of the other substrate, and at least one of the substrates is provided with a bend transition nucleus induction means. As a method for making a difference between the pretilt angles, alignment films made of the same material are formed on the substrates, and then only one of the substrates is subjected to an alignment process or both substrates are subjected to the alignment process under different conditions.