LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY DEVICE

• US 20100165278A1
• Filed: 12/17/2009
• Published: 07/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Displays Limited (Japan Display Incorporated)
• Inventors: Tomioka, Yasushi, MATSUMORI, Masaki, Araya, Kotaro
• Granted Patent: US 8,330,930 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 349/123
• 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 1/134363 for applying an electric field parallel to the substrate, i.e. in-plane switching [IPS]

Abstract

Provided is a liquid crystal display device including: a plurality of column spacers and a first alignment film which are formed above the first substrate; an insulating layer which is formed on the second substrate and a second alignment film which is formed on the insulating layer; and column spacer receiving members which are provided between the insulating layer and the second alignment film in places opposed to the plurality of column spacers, the column spacer receiving members each being made of a material different from both of a material of the insulating layer and a material of the second alignment film, in which a thickness of the second alignment film in places above the column spacer receiving members is ⅓ or less of a thickness of the second alignment film in places in which the second alignment film is formed directly on the insulating layer.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal display device, comprising:

a first substrate;

a second substrate which is opposed to the first substrate;

a liquid crystal material which is placed between the first substrate and the second substrate;

a plurality of column spacers and a first alignment film which are formed above the first substrate;

an insulating layer which is formed on the second substrate and a second alignment film which is formed on the insulating layer; and

column spacer receiving members which are provided between the insulating layer and the second alignment film in places opposed to the plurality of column spacers, the column spacer receiving members each being made of a material different from both of a material of the insulating layer and a material of the second alignment film,

wherein a thickness of the second alignment film in places above the column spacer receiving members is ⅓

or less of a thickness of the second alignment film in places in which the second alignment film is formed directly on the insulating layer.

2. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of the second alignment film above the column spacer receiving members is 30 nm or less.

3. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the column spacer receiving members each have one of a circular shape and an oval shape in plan view.

4. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the column spacer receiving members each have a linear shape.

5. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the column spacer receiving members are each formed of a transparent conductive film.

6. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the column spacer receiving members are each made of indium-tin oxide.

7. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, further comprising a pair of electrodes for applying an electric field to the liquid crystal material,

wherein at least one of the pair of electrodes is formed between the insulating layer and the second alignment film, and

wherein the column spacer receiving members are each made of the same material as a material of the at least one of the pair of electrodes formed between the insulating layer and the second alignment film.

8. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 7, wherein the second alignment film is formed thinner above the column spacer receiving members than above the at least one of the pair of electrodes formed between the insulating layer and the second alignment film.

9. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 7, wherein a distance from the second substrate to the column spacer receiving members is larger than a distance from the second substrate to the at least one of the pair of electrodes formed between the insulating layer and the second alignment film.

10. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 9, wherein the distance from the second substrate to the column spacer receiving members is larger by 400 nm or more than the distance from the second substrate to the at least one of the pair of electrodes formed between the insulating layer and the second alignment film.

11. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein a distance from the second substrate to a central part of each of the plurality of column spacers is larger than a distance from the second substrate to a rim of the each of the plurality of column spacers.

12. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, further comprising at least one protrusion forming member which is formed between the second substrate and each of the column spacer receiving members.

13. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1,

wherein the insulating layer has a ring-like concave portion formed therein in each of areas in which the column spacer receiving members are formed, and

wherein a rim of each of the column spacer receiving members is located outside the ring-like concave portion.

14. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1,

wherein the plurality of column spacers each have one of a conical frustum shape and a prismoidal shape, with a flat top, and

wherein planar dimensions of each of the column spacer receiving members are larger than planar dimensions of the flat top of each of the plurality of column spacers.

15. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, further comprising a column spacer overlying film which is formed on a top of each of the plurality of column spacers, the column spacer overlying film being made of the same material as the material of the column spacer receiving members.

16. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 15, wherein the column spacer receiving members and the column spacer overlying film are each made of indium-tin oxide.

17. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 15, further comprising a pair of electrodes for applying an electric field to the liquid crystal material,

wherein the pair of electrodes is formed above the first substrate.

18. A liquid crystal display device, comprising:

a first substrate;

a second substrate which is opposed to the first substrate;

a liquid crystal material which is placed between the first substrate and the second substrate;

a plurality of column spacers and a first alignment film which are formed above the first substrate;

an insulating layer which is formed on the second substrate and a second alignment film which is formed on the insulating layer, the second alignment film having openings formed therein in places opposed to the plurality of column spacers; and

column spacer receiving members which are formed in the openings of the second alignment film, the column spacer receiving members each being made of a material different from both of a material of the insulating layer and a material of the second alignment film.

19. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 18, wherein the column spacer receiving members each have one of a circular shape and an oval shape in plan view, and rims of the column spacer receiving members are formed in contact with the second alignment film.

20. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 18, wherein the column spacer receiving members each have a linear shape, and perimeters of the column spacer receiving members are formed in contact with the second alignment film.

21. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 18, wherein the column spacer receiving members are each formed of a transparent conductive film.

22. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 18, wherein the column spacer receiving members are each made of indium-tin oxide.