Liquid crystal display device including liquid crystal display material preventing generation of viewing-angle-dependent coloration of display screen

• US 6,163,354 A
• Filed: 12/23/1997
• Issued: 12/19/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Inoue, Iichiro, Yamahara, Motohiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Sikes, William L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHOWDHURY, TARIFUR RASHID
• Application Number:
  US08/996,956
• Time in Patent Office: 1,092 Days
• Field of Search: 349/117, 349/118, 349/119, 349/75
• US Class Current: 349/117
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13363 Birefringent elements, e.g. for optical compensation
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133632 with refractive index ellipsoid inclined relative to the LC-layer surface
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133637 characterised by the wavelength dispersion
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1396 the liquid crystal being selectively controlled between a twisted state and a non-twisted state, e.g. TN-LC cell G02F1/141 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2202/40 Materials having a particular birefringence, retardation
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2413/02 Number of plates being 2
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2413/14 Negative birefingence

Abstract

A liquid crystal display device of the present invention has an arrangement wherein between (a) a liquid crystal display element prepared by inserting a liquid crystal layer to a spacing between a pair of electrode substrates and (b) a pair of polarizers provided on the both sides of the liquid crystal display element, there is provided at least one phase difference plate having a negative refractive index anisotropy whose optical axis is inclined with respect to a direction normal to the surface thereof, and a change, with a wavelength of light, in the refractive index anisotropy of a liquid crystal material constituting the liquid crystal layer is set in a range which does not generate viewing-angle-dependant coloration on a liquid crystal screen. This (1) eliminates a phase difference generated in the liquid crystal display element in accordance with viewing angles and (2) effectively prevents a coloration phenomenon on the liquid crystal screen which is generated especially when the viewing angle becomes wider, thereby realizing a liquid crystal display device capable of displaying a high quality image.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal display device comprising:

a pair of translucent substrates, each provided with a transparent electrode layer and an alignment layer on a surface facing the other substrate;

a liquid crystal layer made of a liquid crystal material whose change in refractive index anisotropy in accordance with a wavelength of light is set in a range which does not allow viewing-angle-dependant coloration to generate on a liquid crystal screen;

a liquid crystal display element composed of said pair of translucent substrates and said liquid crystal layer;

a pair of polarizers provided on both sides of said liquid crystal display element; and

phase difference plates, provided at least one, respectively positioned between said liquid crystal display element and said pair of polarizers.

2. A liquid crystal display device comprising:

a pair of translucent substrates, each provided with a transparent electrode layer and an alignment layer on a surface facing the other substrate;

a liquid crystal layer made of a liquid crystal material whose change in refractive index anisotropy in accordance with a wavelength of light is set in a range which does not allow viewing-angle-dependant coloration to generate on a liquid crystal screen;

a liquid crystal display element composed of said pair of translucent substrates and said liquid crystal layer;

a pair of polarizers provided on both sides of said liquid crystal display element; and

phase difference plates, provided at least one, respectively positioned between said liquid crystal display element and said pair of polarizers, wherein said phase difference plates have three principal refractive indices n_a, n_b, and n_c related to each other by a relation n_a =n_c >

n_b, the principal refractive index n_b being inclined with respect to a direction normal to surfaces of said phase difference plates.

3. The liquid crystal display device as set forth in claim 2, wherein alignment layers are subjected to a rubbing process so that a twist angle of liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal material is aligned by substantially 90°

.

4. The liquid crystal display device as set forth in claim 3, wherein each of said pair of polarizers has an absorption axis parallel to a rubbing direction of a closer ene of the alignment layers provided on said pair of translucent substrates.

5. The liquid crystal display device as set forth in claim 2, wherein a difference Δ

n(450)-Δ

n(650) of the liquid crystal material of the liquid crystal layer, between refractive index anisotropy Δ

n(450) for light having a wavelength of 450 nm and refractive index anisotropy Δ

n(650) for light having a wavelength of 650 nm is set in a range of not less than 0 and less than 0.010.

6. The liquid crystal display device as set forth in claim 5, wherein the difference Δ

n(450)-Δ

n(650) of the liquid crystal material of the liquid crystal layer, between the refractive index anisotropy Δ

n(450) for light having a wavelength of 450 nm and the refractive index anisotropy Δ

n(650) for light having a wavelength of 650 nm is set in a range of not less than 0 and not more than 0.0055.

7. The liquid crystal display device as set forth in claim 5, wherein the refractive index anisotropy Δ

n(550) for light having a wavelength of 550 nm is set in a range of more than 0.060 and less than 0.120.

8. The liquid crystal display device as set forth in claim 7, wherein the refractive index anisotropy Δ

n(550) for light having a wavelength of 550 nm is set in a range of not less than 0.070 and not more than 0.095.

9. The liquid crystal display device as set forth in claim 2, wherein a ratio Δ

n(450)/Δ

n(550) of the liquid crystal material of the liquid crystal layer, which the ratio of (a) the refractive index anisotropy Δ

n(450) for the light having a wavelength of 450 nm to (b) refractive index anisotropy Δ

n(550) for the light having a wavelength of 550 nm, is set in a range of not less than 1 and less than 1.07.

10. The liquid crystal display device as set forth in claim 9, wherein the ratio Δ

n(450)/Δ

n(550) of the liquid crystal material of the liquid crystal layer, which the ratio of (a) the refractive index anisotropy Δ

n(450) for the light having a wavelength of 450 nm to (b) the refractive index anisotropy Δ

n(550) for the light having a wavelength of 550 nm, is set in a range of not less than 1 and not more than 1.05.

11. The liquid crystal display device as set forth in claim 9, wherein the refractive index anisotropy Δ

n(550) for light having a wavelength of 550 nm is set in a range of more than 0.060 and less than 0.120.

12. The liquid crystal display device as set forth in claim 11, wherein the refractive index anisotropy Δ

n(550) for light having a wavelength of 550 nm is set in a range of not less than 0.070 and not more than 0.095.

13. The liquid crystal display device as set forth in claim 2, wherein a ratio Δ

n(650)/Δ

n(550) of the liquid crystal material of the liquid crystal layer, which the ratio of (a) the refractive index anisotropy Δ

n(650) for the light having a wavelength of 650 nm to (b) the refractive index anisotropy Δ

n(550) for the light having a wavelength of 550 nm, is set in a range of more than 0.96 and not more than 1.

14. The liquid crystal display device as set forth in claim 13, wherein the ratio Δ

n(650)/Δ

n(550) of the liquid crystal material of the liquid crystal layer, which the ratio of (a) the refractive index anisotropy Δ

n(650) for the light having a wavelength of 650 nm to (b) the refractive index anisotropy Δ

n(550) for the light having a wavelength of 550 nm, is set in a range of not less than 0.975 and not more than 1.

15. The liquid crystal display device as set forth in claim 13, wherein the refractive index anisotropy Δ

n(550) for light having a wavelength of 550 nm is set in a range of more than 0.060 and less than 0.120.

16. The liquid crystal display device as set forth in claim 15, wherein the refractive index anisotropy Δ

n(550) for light having a wavelength of 550 nm is set in a range of not less than 0.070 and not more than 0.095.

17. The liquid crystal display device as set forth in claim 2, wherein the refractive index anisotropy Δ

n(550) for light having a wavelength of 550 nm is set in a range of more than 0.060 and less than 0.120.

18. The liquid crystal display device as set forth in claim 17, wherein the refractive index anisotropy Δ

n(550) for light having a wavelength of 550 nm is set in a range of not less than 0.070 and not more than 0.095.

19. The liquid crystal display device as set forth in claim 2, wherein a tilt-angle of refractive index ellipsoids of said phase difference plates is set in a range of 15°

and 75°

.

20. The liquid crystal display device as set forth in claim 2, wherein respective rubbing directions of the alignment layers provided on said pair of translucent substrates are respectively substantially parallel to directions respectively made on each side of said pair of translucent substrates by projecting the principal refractive index n_b of each of said phase difference plates on a surface thereof.

21. The liquid crystal display device as set forth in claim 2, wherein in each of said phase difference plates, a product of (a) a difference of the principal refractive index n_a and the principal refractive index n_b and (b) a thickness d of the phase difference plate, (n_a -n_b)×

d, is set in a range of 80 nm and 250 nm.

22. The liquid crystal display device as set forth in claim 2, wherein said phase difference plates are prepared (1) by tilt-aligning discotic liquid crystal on a support base made of a transparent organic polymer and (2) by crosslinking the discotic liquid crystal to each other.

23. The liquid crystal display device as set forth in claim 2, therein said phase difference plates are prepared (1) by hybrid-aligning discotic liquid crystal on a support base made of a transparent organic polymer and (2) by crosslinking the discotic liquid crystal to each other.