Liquid crystal device and driving method therefor
First Claim
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1. A liquid crystal device, comprising:
- a pair of substrates each having thereon an electrode and an alignment film, and a layer of nematic liquid crystal disposed between the substrates, whereinat least one alignment film includes a homeotropic alignment film region capable of aligning longer axes of liquid crystal molecules in contact therewith to form an angle of 80-90 deg. with respect to the associated substrate surface, and another alignment film region capable of placing the liquid crystal in contact therewith in splay alignment for the liquid crystal in an as-injected state and in an alignment state capable of conversion into a bend alignment on application of a prescribed voltage for the liquid crystal in an operational state, and said bend alignment is an alignment state of liquid crystal molecules across a thickness thereof between the substrates wherein the longer axes of the liquid crystal molecules are gradually rotated in one direction from one substrate to the other substrate so as to be vertical at an intermediate position between the substrates.
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Abstract
At least one of a pair of substrates constituting a liquid crystal device is provided with a composite alignment film including a homeotropic alignment film region and a homogeneous alignment film region, whereby the liquid crystal in contact with the homogeneous alignment film region is surrounded by the region of liquid crystal in a hybrid or homeotropic alignment state and is stably held in a twit alignment state under no electric field which can be continuously transformed into a bend alignment state. As a result, it is possible to provide a liquid crystal device capable of display by utilizing bend alignment with reduced bending voltage and voltage for holding the bend alignment.
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Citations
12 Claims
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1. A liquid crystal device, comprising:
- a pair of substrates each having thereon an electrode and an alignment film, and a layer of nematic liquid crystal disposed between the substrates, wherein
at least one alignment film includes a homeotropic alignment film region capable of aligning longer axes of liquid crystal molecules in contact therewith to form an angle of 80-90 deg. with respect to the associated substrate surface, and another alignment film region capable of placing the liquid crystal in contact therewith in splay alignment for the liquid crystal in an as-injected state and in an alignment state capable of conversion into a bend alignment on application of a prescribed voltage for the liquid crystal in an operational state, and said bend alignment is an alignment state of liquid crystal molecules across a thickness thereof between the substrates wherein the longer axes of the liquid crystal molecules are gradually rotated in one direction from one substrate to the other substrate so as to be vertical at an intermediate position between the substrates. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
- a pair of substrates each having thereon an electrode and an alignment film, and a layer of nematic liquid crystal disposed between the substrates, wherein
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Current AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
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Original AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
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InventorsWatanabe, Yasuyuki, Tsuboyama, Akira, Asao, Yasufumi, Okada, Shinjiro, Munakata, Hirohide
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Primary Examiner(s)Ton, Toan
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Application NumberUS09/333,038Time in Patent Office1,386 DaysField of Search349/129, 349/130US Class Current349/130CPC Class CodesG02F 1/133738 for homogeneous alignmentG02F 1/133742 for homeotropic alignmentG02F 1/133753 with different alignment or...G02F 1/13787 Hybrid-alignment cells G02F...G02F 1/1395 Optically compensated biref...G02F 1/1397 the twist being substantial...
