Liquid crystal display having microlens and manufacturing process thereof

• US 6,147,737 A
• Filed: 03/27/1998
• Issued: 11/14/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Advanced Display
• Inventors: Yachi, Shigeru
• Primary Examiner(s): Sikes, William L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHOWDHURY, TARIFUR RASHID
• Application Number:
  US09/049,054
• Time in Patent Office: 963 Days
• Field of Search: 349/141, 349/122, 349/95, 349/187
• US Class Current: 349/122
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133357 Planarisation layers
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133526 Lenses, e.g. microlenses or Fresnel lenses
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133565 inside the LC elements, i.e. between the cell substrates
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/134363 for applying an electric field parallel to the substrate, i.e. in-plane switching [IPS]

Abstract

It is intended to provide a liquid crystal display of high luminance and a manufacturing process of such a liquid crystal display which is simple and easy to manufacture, of which focal distance can be easily adjusted, and which is provided with microlens not giving rise to lowering of yield due to sticking of dust, etc. In an IPS type liquid crystal display in which a lower transparent insulating substrate 1, on which condensing lens 6 and a flattening layer 7 made of materials of different refractive indexes are formed, and an upper transparent insulating substrate 2, on which picture element electrodes 4, 5 are formed, are arranged to be opposite to each other, and a liquid crystal layer 3 is held between the lower and upper transparent insulating substrates, tapered portions 6b of the condensing lens 6 formed by etching a condensing lens layer 9 are arranged to be opposite to regions where picture element electrodes 4, 5 are formed.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal display comprising:

a pair of transparent insulating substrates opposite to each other;

a liquid crystal layer held between said pair of transparent insulating substrates;

a plurality of electrodes arranged on one of said transparent insulating substrates facing said liquid crystal layer; and

an optical member comprising a lens formed on another of said transparent insulating substrates and a flattening layer having an index of refraction larger than a refractive index of said lens formed on said lens,

wherein said optical member is arranged between said another of said transparent insulating substrates and said electrodes.

2. A liquid crystal display as defined in claim 1, wherein focal distance of a light refracted and condensed by the lens and the flattening layer is larger than a difference between a surface formed with the lens and a surface formed with the electrodes.

3. A liquid crystal display as defined in claim 1, wherein each lens has a sectionally convex shape protruding from the transparent insulating substrate.

4. A liquid crystal display as defined in claim 3, wherein each lens having the sectionally convex shape has tapered portions.

5. A liquid crystal display as defined in claim 4, wherein each lens has sectionally triangular shapes formed of two tapered portions.

6. A liquid crystal display as defined in claim 4, wherein each lens has a sectionally trapezoidal shape formed of a flat portion and two tapered portions each adjacent to two ends of said flat portions.

7. A liquid crystal display as defined in claim 1, wherein the electrodes are formed of first electrodes and second electrodes to each of which a voltage is applied, and form an electric field in a direction parallel to the surfaces of the transparent insulating substrates.

8. A liquid crystal display comprising:

a first substrate comprising a transparent insulating substrate, lens formed on said transparent insulating substrate, and a flattening layer formed on said lens;

a second substrate comprising another transparent insulating substrate on which a plurality of electrodes are formed; and

a liquid crystal layer disposed between said flattening layer of said first substrate on one side and said second substrate on another side;

wherein said first substrate has a function of refracting a light in accordance with a difference between a refractive index of said lens and that of said flattening layer,

wherein each lens has a sectionally convex shape including tapered portions protruding from the transparent insulating substrate,

wherein each lens has sectionally triangular shapes formed of two tapered portions, and

wherein the lens each having the sectionally triangular shapes have a refractive index smaller than that of the flattening layer, and are arranged discontinuously so as to be coincident to positions where the electrodes are formed.

9. A liquid crystal display as defined in claim 8, wherein the lens are composed of silicon nitride or tantalum oxide.

10. A liquid crystal display as defined in claim 9, wherein the flattening layer is composed of acrylic resin or polyimide resin.

11. A liquid crystal display comprising:

a first substrate comprising a transparent insulating substrate, lens formed on said transparent insulating substrate, and a flattening layer formed on said lens;

a second substrate comprising another transparent insulating substrate on which a plurality of electrodes are formed; and

a liquid crystal layer disposed between said flattening layer of said first substrate on one side and said second substrate on another side;

wherein said first substrate has a function of refracting a light in accordance with a difference between a refractive index of said lens and that of said flattening layer,

wherein each lens has a sectionally trapezoidal shape protruding from the transparent insulating substrate and including a flat portion and two tapered portions each adjacent to two ends of said flat portion, and

wherein the lens each having a sectionally trapezoidal shape have a refractive index larger than that of the flattening layer, and are arranged continuously so that the tapered portions of the adjacent lens are coincident to positions where the electrodes are formed.

12. A liquid crystal display as defined in claim 11, wherein the lens are composed of silicon oxide or magnesium fluoride.