LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY AND ELECTRONIC APPARATUS

• US 20060285035A1
• Filed: 08/29/2006
• Published: 12/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 138 East LCD Advancements Limited (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: TSUCHIYA, Hitoshi, URANO, Nobutaka
• Granted Patent: US 7,466,380 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 349/106
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133514 Colour filters
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133555 Transflectors

Abstract

A structure of a multi-gap liquid crystal display is provided in which high-quality images can be displayed even when the orientation of the crystal molecules is disordered in the border regions between a transmissive display region and a reflective display region and between adjacent pixel regions that can be easily manufactured at low cost. The liquid crystal display has a first substrate, a second substrate, and a liquid crystal layer. A light-reflecting layer for defining a reflective display region and a transmissive display region is formed in a pixel region. A thickness-adjusting layer having a recess corresponding to the transmissive display region inside an opening is formed above the light-reflecting layer. A color filter overlap is formed at the border region between the reflective display region and the transmissive display region. The color filter overlap is either in direct contact with or distant from the thickness-adjusting layer. The color filter overlap is also formed at the border region between the adjacent pixel regions and is either in direct contact with or distant from the thickness-adjusting layer.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal display comprising:

a first substrate;

a second substrate;

a liquid crystal layer between the first substrate and the second substrate;

pixels regions that selectively and independently apply voltage to the liquid crystal layer, each pixel region including a reflective display region and a transmissive display region;

a light reflecting layer including the reflective display regions of the pixel regions;

a thickness-adjusting layer causing the thickness of the liquid crystal layer at the reflective display regions to be smaller than the thickness of the liquid crystal at the transmissive display regions, the thickness-adjusting layer including a slope at a border between the reflective display region and the transmissive display region of each pixel region;

color filters for reflective display formed in the reflective display regions; and

color filters for transmissive display formed in the transmissive display regions;

wherein the color filters for reflective display and the color filters for transmissive display overlap at least at part of the slope of the thickness-adjusting layer between the reflective display regions and the transmissive display regions.

2. The display according to claim 1, wherein the color filters for transmissive display have a higher color intensity than the color filters for reflective display.

3. The display according to claim 1, wherein the overlap of the color filters for reflective display and the color filters for transmissive display frames the transmissive display region.

4. The display according to claim 3, wherein the overlap is aligned with the slope at the border between the reflective display region and the transmissive display region.

5. The display according to claim 1, wherein the thickness-adjusting layer is formed on the color filters for reflective display and the color filters for transmissive display.

6. The display according to claim 1, wherein each pixel region is rectangular.

7. The display according to claim 1, wherein the color filters for reflective display and the color filters for transmissive display are formed on a first substrate side of the liquid crystal layer.

8. The display according to claim 1, wherein the color filters for reflective display and the color filters for transmissive display are formed on a second substrate side of the liquid crystal layer.

9. An electronic apparatus including the liquid crystal display according to claim 1.

10. The display according to claim 1, wherein the overlap is formed by stacking a red filter, a green filter, and a blue filter of the color filter for transmissive display with a blue filter of the color filter for reflective display.