Liquid crystal display laminate and method of manufacturing such

• US 20030038912A1
• Filed: 08/09/2002
• Published: 02/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Penterman, Roel, Broer, Dirk Jan
• Granted Patent: US 7,123,319 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 349/122
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 19/00 Liquid crystal materials
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 19/38 Polymers
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 19/544 as dispersing or encapsulating medium around the liquid crystal
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133368 Cells having two substrates with different characteristics, e.g. different thickness or material
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133377 Cells with plural compartments or having plurality of liquid crystal microcells partitioned by walls, e.g. one microcell per pixel
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13394 spacers regularly patterned on the cell subtrate, e.g. walls, pillars G02F1/133377 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1341 Filling or closing of cells
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1347 Arrangement of liquid crystal layers or cells in which the final condition of one light beam is achieved by the addition of the effects of two or more layers or cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/3162 Cross-linked polyester [e.g., glycerol maleate-styrene, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31794 Of cross-linked polyester

Abstract

A liquid crystal display laminate comprises a liquid crystal layer and a single substrate for confining that layer, allowing the liquid crystal layer to be provided using a wet deposition method such as printing or coating. To improve mechanical stability and provide protection and keep the liquid crystal layer in place, a cover layer may be provided on the liquid crystal layer. The cover layer and liquid crystal layer may together form a stratified-phase-separated composite in which case the liquid crystal layer and the cover layer are provided simultaneously. The display laminate is very thin and light weight. The display laminate may include or be combined with further layers such as orientation layers, electrode layers, polarizers and/or retarders layer to form a fully functional, high contrast display device.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal display laminate comprising a liquid crystal layer, at a side of the liquid crystal layer, a single substrate for confining the liquid crystal layer and, optionally, a cover layer formed adjacent to the liquid crystal layer for covering the liquid crystal layer at a side opposite the substrate side of the liquid crystal layer.

3. A liquid crystal display laminate as claimed in claim 1 or 2 comprising a cover layer formed adjacent to the liquid crystal layer, the liquid crystal layer and the cover layer together forming a stratified-phase-separated composite.

4. A liquid crystal display laminate as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the liquid crystal layer or a part thereof is disposed between spaced electrodes for setting up an electric field between the spaced electrodes which is capable of switching the liquid crystal layer or the said part thereof, the spaced electrodes being arranged on the substrate side of the liquid crystal layer.

5. A liquid crystal display laminate as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the liquid crystal layer or a part thereof is sandwiched between a bottom electrode disposed on the substrate side of the liquid crystal layer and a top electrode disposed on the side of the liquid crystal layer remote from the single substrate for subjecting the liquid crystal layer or the said part thereof to an electric field, the top electrode preferably a wet-deposited electrically conducting material.

6. A liquid crystal display laminate as claimed in claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 wherein the single substrate is, on the liquid crystal layer side, provided with an alignment layer for orienting the liquid crystal layer.

7. A liquid crystal display laminate as claimed in claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 comprising or combined with one or more polarizing layers.

8. A liquid crystal display laminate as claimed in claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 comprising or combined with one or more retardation layers.

9. A liquid crystal display laminate as claimed in claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8 comprising or is combined with a reflector layer.

11. A display device comprising a display laminate as claimed in any one of the claims 1 to 10.

2. A liquid crystal display laminate consisting of a plurality of layers including a liquid crystal layer and a substrate layer for confining the liquid crystal layer and, optionally, a cover layer adjacent the liquid crystal layer on the liquid crystal layer side opposite the substrate, characterized in that none of the layers of the plurality of layers, excluding the substrate layer, is identical to the substrate layer.

10. A liquid crystal display laminate comprising a substrate, a liquid crystal layer, electrodes for subjecting the liquid crystal layer or a part thereof to an electric field, a cover layer and, optionally, an alignment layer, one or more polarizer layers and/or a retardation layer, the liquid crystal layer and the cover layer having a combined thickness in the range 2 μ

m to 100 μ

m, or, more particular, 5 to 50 μ

m, the one or more polarizing layers having or each having a thickness in the range of 0.1 to 100 μ

m or, more particular, 0.1 to 10 μ

m, the retardation layer having a thickness in the range of 0.05 to 100 μ

m or, more particular, 0.05 to 10 μ

m, and the display laminate having a thickness less than 1 mm, or, more particular, less than 0.5 mm.

12. A method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display laminate comprising a liquid crystal layer, a substrate for confining the liquid crystal layer at a side thereof and, optionally, a cover layer for covering the liquid crystal layer at a side opposite the side at which the substrate confines the liquid crystal layer, the method comprising:

providing a substrate for confining a liquid crystal layer at a side thereof;

providing a liquid crystal coating material from which the liquid crystal layer is obtainable;

depositing the liquid crystal coating material on the substrate by means of a wet deposition method;

obtaining, adjacent to the substrate, the liquid crystal layer from the liquid crystal coating material, the substrate thus confining the liquid crystal layer at a side thereof;

optionally, providing a cover layer for covering the liquid crystal layer at a side opposite the side at which the substrate confines the liquid crystal layer.

13. A method as claimed in claim 12, wherein

the liquid crystal coating material is a stratified-phase-separable coating material;

and

the steps of obtaining the liquid crystal layer and providing the cover layer are executed simultaneously by carrying out stratification of the stratified-phase-separable material to form the liquid crystal layer and the cover layer covering the liquid crystal layer.

14. A method as claimed in claim 12 or 13, comprising the step of applying one or more polarizing or retardation layers using a wet deposition method.

15. A method as claimed in claim 12, 13 or 14, comprising the step of applying, on the cover layer, one or more electrodes by a wet deposition method.