LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY DEVICE AND METHOD FOR ALIGNMENT OF LIQUID CRYSTAL MOLECULE

• Main Authors: KOIKE YOSHIRO, TAKEDA ARIHIRO, SENDA HIDEO
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 29.09.2000
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS, THE OPTICAL OPERATION OF WHICH ISMODIFIED BY CHANGING THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIUM OF THEDEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF THE INTENSITY,COLOUR, PHASE, POLARISATION OR DIRECTION OF LIGHT, e.g.SWITCHING, GATING, MODULATING OR DEMODULATING; FREQUENCY-CHANGING; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICS; PHYSICS; TECHNIQUES OR PROCEDURES FOR THE OPERATION THEREOF

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To restrict the tilt direction of liquid crystal molecules to desired direction to a certain degree by controlling the width and pitch of an alignment restricting structure to each specified value. SOLUTION: A plurality of ridge-like projections 19a aye formed, for example, by exposing and developing a photoresist film on the surface of a protective insulating film 48 which is formed on the surface of a glass substrate 1. The projections 19a are arranged in stripes in the substrate plane. In a pixel electrode 12, conductive projections (alignment restricting structure) 19 having the surface of a conductive material are formed from the surface part 12a of the projections 19a and the projections 19a. A liquid crystal material 29 having negative dielectric anisotropy is injected to fill the gap between substrates 1, 27. When voltage is applied between the pixel electrode 12 and a common electrode 54 of the liquid crystal cell, the liquid crystal molecules are tilted parallel to the extended direction of the projections 19. By controlling at least the width of the projections 19 to <7.5 μm and at least the pitch of the projections to <15 μm, the tilt direction of the liquid crystal molecules is aligned with good reproducibility.