LIQUID CRYSTAL DEVICE AND ELECTRONIC APPARATUS

• US 20080218670A1
• Filed: 12/04/2007
• Published: 09/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: KUMAI, Yoshitomo
• Application Number:
  US11/950,254
• Publication Number:
  US 20080218670A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 349/114
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133555 Transflectors
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/134363 for applying an electric field parallel to the substrate, i.e. in-plane switching [IPS]

Abstract

A liquid crystal device of semi-transmissive reflective type includes a first substrate and a second substrate opposed to each other, a liquid crystal layer interposed therebetween, a pixel region having a reflection display region and a transmission display region, a first electrode having a plurality of strip electrode portions electrically connected to each other, a second electrode provided in the first substrate and facing the first electrode to produce an electric field between the first and the second electrodes, an electrode insulating film interposed between the first and the second electrodes, the electrodes and the electrode insulating film being arranged in a side of the first substrate toward the liquid crystal layer, a reflective polarizing layer for selectively reflecting a predetermined polarized light component of incident light, a light scatterer for scattering reflected light, and a layer for adjusting a thickness of the liquid crystal layer to make the thickness thereof in a light-scatterer formation region different from the thickness thereof in a light-scatterer non-formation region, the reflective polarizing layer, the light scatterer and the liquid-crystal-layer thickness adjusting layer being provided in the reflection display region.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal device of semi-transmissive reflective type, comprising:

a first substrate and a second substrate opposed to each other;

a liquid crystal layer interposed therebetween;

a pixel region having a reflection display region and a transmission display region;

a first electrode having a plurality of strip electrode portions electrically connected to each other;

a second electrode included in the first substrate and facing the first electrode to produce an electric field between the first and the second electrodes;

an electrode insulating film interposed between the first and the second electrodes, the electrodes and the electrode insulating film being arranged in a side of the first substrate toward the liquid crystal layer;

a reflective polarizing layer for selectively reflecting a predetermined polarized light component of incident light;

a light scatterer for scattering reflected light; and

a layer for adjusting a thickness of the liquid crystal layer to make the thickness thereof in a light scatterer formation region different from the thickness thereof in a light scatterer non-formation region, the reflective polarizing layer, the light scatterer and the liquid-crystal-layer thickness adjusting layer being provided in the reflection display region.

2. The liquid crystal device according to claim 1, wherein the light scatterer includes an insulating protrusion formed in the reflection display region and a reflecting film formed on a surface of the insulating protrusion.

3. The liquid crystal device according to claim 1, wherein the light scatterer serves also as the liquid-crystal-layer thickness adjusting layer.

4. The liquid crystal device according to claim 1, wherein the light scatterer is formed in a non-formation region of the reflective polarizing layer in the reflection display region.

5. The liquid crystal device according to claim 1, wherein the light scatterer is formed partially on a side of the reflective polarizing layer toward the liquid crystal layer.

6. The liquid crystal device according to claim 1, wherein a difference between a phase difference of the liquid crystal layer in the light scatterer formation region and a phase difference thereof in the light scatterer non-formation region is approximately ¼

of a wavelength λ

of a light input to the pixel region.

7. The liquid crystal device according to claim 6, wherein a phase difference layer for giving the phase difference of approximately λ

/4 to transmitted light is formed in a region of the second substrate that two-dimensionally overlaps with the light scatterer.

8. The liquid crystal device according to claim 6, wherein a phase difference plate for giving the phase difference of approximately λ

/4 to transmitted light is provided in the second substrate on a side of the liquid crystal layer, whereas a phase difference layer for giving the phase difference of approximately λ

/4 to the transmitted light is formed in the first substrate to be disposed toward the liquid crystal layer more than the reflective polarizing layer.

9. The liquid crystal device according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of the liquid crystal layer in the light scatterer formation region is smaller than the thickness thereof in the light scatterer non-formation region.

10. The liquid crystal device according to claim 9, wherein the thickness of the liquid crystal layer in the light scatterer formation region is approximately ½

of the thickness thereof in the reflection display region in the light scatterer non-formation region.

11. The liquid crystal device according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of the liquid crystal layer in the transmission display region is approximately the same as the thickness thereof in the light scatterer non-formation region of the reflection display region.

12. The liquid crystal device according to claim 1, wherein the reflective polarizing layer is a metal film having a fine slit opening portion.

13. The liquid crystal device according to claim 1, wherein the reflective polarizing layer is a dielectric multilayer film formed by laminating a plurality of dielectric films each having a prism shape.

17. An electronic apparatus comprising the liquid crystal device according to claim 1.

14. A liquid crystal device of semi-transmissive reflective type, comprising:

a first substrate and a second substrate opposed to each other;

a liquid crystal layer interposed therebetween;

a pixel region having a reflection display region and a transmission display region;

a first electrode having a plurality of strip electrode portions electrically connected to each other;

a second electrode provided in the first substrate and facing the first electrode to produce an electric field between the first and the second electrodes;

an electrode insulating film interposed between the first and the second electrodes, the electrodes and the electrode insulating film being arranged in a side of the first substrate toward the liquid crystal layer;

a reflective polarizing layer for selectively reflecting a predetermined polarized light component of incident light; and

a reflective layer for reflecting the incident light, the reflective polarizing layer and the reflective layer being formed to be partitioned in the reflection display region, and a thickness of the liquid crystal layer in a formation region of the reflective polarizing layer being different from the thickness thereof in a formation region of the reflective layer.

15. The liquid crystal device according to claim 14, wherein a dielectric protrusion as a layer for adjusting the thickness of the liquid crystal layer is formed in the first substrate so as to correspond to the formation region of the reflective layer.

16. The liquid crystal device according to claim 14, wherein the reflective layer is a light scatterer that produces scatteredly reflected light.