Transflective LCD device having less distance between transmission region and first bus line than transmission region and second bus line

• US 6,950,159 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2004
• Issued: 09/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/1997
• 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: Shimada, Takayuki, Kubo, Masumi, Ishii, Yutaka, Ban, Atsushi, Yoshimura, Youji, Narutaki, Yozo, Maruyama, Yuko, Yamakawa, Shinya, Katayama, Mikio, Fujioka, Shogo
• Primary Examiner(s): CHOWDHURY, TARIFUR RASHID
• Application Number:
  US10/922,020
• Publication Number:
  US 20050018118A1
• Time in Patent Office: 403 Days
• Field of Search: 349/113, 349/114, 349/42, 349/43, 257/59, 257/72
• US Class Current: 349/114
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133371 Cells with varying thickness of the liquid crystal layer
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133504 Diffusing, scattering, diffracting elements associated to illuminating devices G02F1/133606
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133553 Reflecting elements associated to illuminating devices G02F1/133605
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133555 Transflectors
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133557 Half-mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133638 Waveplates, i.e. plates with a retardation value of lambda/n
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/134309 characterised by their geometrical arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1362 Active matrix addressed cells G02F1/134336, G02F1/134363 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13712 the liquid crystal having negative dielectric anisotropy
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2203/09 transflective

Abstract

A liquid crystal display device includes a first substrate; a second substrate; a liquid crystal layer interposed between the first substrate and the second substrate; a first polarizer provided on a surface of the first substrate which is on the opposite side to the liquid crystal layer; a second polarizer provided on a surface of the second substrate which is on the opposite side to the liquid crystal layer; a first phase compensation element provided between the first polarizer and the liquid crystal layer; and a second phase compensation element provided between the second polarizer and the liquid crystal layer. A plurality of pixel areas are provided for display. The first substrate includes at least one transmissive electrode, and the second substrate includes a reflective electrode region and a transmissive electrode region in correspondence with each of the plurality of pixel areas.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal display device for displaying an image and including a plurality of pixels, the liquid crystal display device comprising:

a first substrate, a second substrate, and a liquid crystal layer interposed between at least the first substrate and the second substrate;

a pixel region corresponding to one of the plurality of pixels;

wherein the pixel region includes a reflection region having light reflectivity and a transmission region having light transmissivity;

wherein light from the reflection region and transmitted light from the transmission region are utilized in displaying the image;

wherein the reflection region includes a reflection layer including a surface comprising concave and/or convex portions; and

wherein the reflection region substantially surrounds the transmission region, and wherein in the pixel region a shortest distance between the transmission region and a first bus line corresponding to the pixel region is less than a shortest distance between the transmission region and a second bus line corresponding to the pixel region.

2. The liquid crystal display device of claim 1, wherein the transmission region is located in a central portion of the pixel region.

3. The liquid crystal display device of claim 1, wherein the first bus line is a source line and the second bus line is a gate line.

4. The liquid crystal display device of claim 1, wherein the transmission region is substantially rectangular in shape.

5. The liquid crystal display device of claim 1, wherein the reflection region entirely surrounds the transmission region on all sides as viewed from above.

6. The liquid crystal display device of claim 1, wherein the first and second bus lines are in electrical communication with a thin film transistor (TFT) for the pixel region, and wherein the reflection layer is in electrical communication with the thin film transistor for the pixel region.

7. The liquid crystal display device of claim 1, wherein the reflection layer is at least partially formed on an interlayer insulating film.

8. The liquid crystal display device of claim 7, wherein the interlayer insulating film has a wave-like upper surface.

9. The liquid crystal display device of claim 7, wherein the interlayer insulating film has a plurality of round protrusions on a surface thereof.

10. The liquid crystal display device of claim 7, wherein the interlayer insulating film comprises a layer comprising organic resin material.

11. The liquid crystal display device of claim 1, further comprising an insulating layer located at least partially between the reflection layer and a transmissive electrode of at least the transmission region.

12. The liquid crystal display device of claim 1, further comprising a first compensation film on a first side of the liquid crystal layer, and a second compensation film on a second side of the liquid crystal layer.

13. The liquid crystal display device of claim 12, wherein at least one of the compensation films comprises a quarter-wave plate.

14. A liquid crystal display device comprising:

a first substrate, a second substrate, and a liquid crystal layer interposed between at least the first and second substrates;

a pixel region comprising a reflection region having light reflectivity and a transmission region having light transmissivity;

wherein light from the reflection region and transmitted light from the transmission region are utilized in displaying images;

wherein the reflection region comprises a reflection layer including a surface comprising concave and/or convex portions;

a first bus line and a second bus line each in electrical communication with a transistor for the pixel region;

wherein the reflection region substantially surrounds the transmission region, and wherein a shortest distance between the transmission region and the first bus line is less than a shortest distance between the transmission region and the second bus line.

15. The liquid crystal display device of claim 14, wherein the first bus line is a source line and the second bus line is a gate line.

16. The liquid crystal display device of claim 14, wherein the transmission region is substantially rectangular in shape, and wherein the transmission region is located at least in a central area of the pixel region.

17. The liquid crystal display device of claim 14, wherein the reflection region entirely surrounds the transmission region on all sides as viewed from above.

18. The liquid crystal display device of claim 14, wherein the reflection layer is in electrical communication with the transistor through a contact hole defined in an interlayer insulator.

19. The liquid crystal display device of claim 14, wherein the reflection layer is at least partially formed on an interlayer insulating film, and wherein the interlayer insulating film comprises organic material and has a wave-like upper surface.

20. A liquid crystal display device comprising:

a first substrate, a second substrate, and a liquid crystal layer interposed between at least the first and second substrates;

a pixel region comprising a reflection region having a reflection layer and light reflectivity, and a transmission region having light transmissivity;

wherein light from the reflection region and transmitted light from the transmission region are utilized in displaying images;

a first bus line and a second bus line each in electrical communication with a transistor for the pixel region;

wherein the reflection region substantially surrounds the transmission region, and wherein a distance between the transmission region and the first bus line is less than a distance between the transmission region and the second bus line.

21. The liquid crystal display device of claim 20, wherein the first bus line is a source line and the second bus line is a gate line.

22. The liquid crystal display device of claim 20, wherein the transmission region is substantially rectangular in shape, and wherein the transmission region is located at least in a central area of the pixel region.

23. The liquid crystal display device of claim 20, wherein the reflection region entirely surrounds the transmission region on all sides as viewed from above.

24. The liquid crystal display device of claim 20, wherein the reflection layer is in electrical communication with the transistor through a contact hole defined in an interlayer insulator.

25. The liquid crystal display device of claim 20, wherein the reflection layer is at least partially formed on an interlayer insulating film, and wherein the interlayer insulating film comprises organic material and has a wave-like upper surface.

26. A liquid crystal display device comprising:

a first substrate, a second substrate, and a liquid crystal layer interposed between at least the first and second substrates;

a first bus line and a second bus line each in electrical communication with a transistor for a pixel region;

the pixel region comprising a first region and a second region, the first region having light reflectivity and including a reflection layer with a surface having concave and/or convex portions, and the second region comprising a transmissive electrode in electrical communication with the transistor, and wherein the reflection layer is provided in the first region but not in the second region;

wherein one of the first and second regions substantially surrounds the other of the first and second regions, and wherein said other of the first and second regions is located closer to the first bus line than to the second bus line.

27. The liquid crystal display device of claim 26, wherein the first bus line is a source line and the second bus line is a gate line.

28. The liquid crystal display device of claim 26, wherein the reflection layer is in electrical communication with the transistor through a contact hole defined in an interlayer insulator.

29. The liquid crystal display device of claim 26, wherein the reflection layer is at least partially formed on an interlayer insulating film, and wherein the interlayer insulating film comprises organic material and has a wave-like upper surface.

30. A method of making a liquid crystal display device for displaying an image, the method comprising:

providing a first substrate, a second substrate, and a liquid crystal layer interposed between at least the first substrate and the second substrate;

providing a pixel region that includes a reflection region having light reflectivity and a transmission region having light transmissivity;

wherein light from the reflection region and transmitted light from the transmission region are to be utilized in displaying images;

forming the reflection region so as to include a reflection layer including a surface comprising concave and/or convex portions; and

forming the reflection and transmission regions so that the reflection region substantially surrounds the transmission region, and wherein in the pixel region a shortest distance between the transmission region and a first bus line corresponding to the pixel region is less than a shortest distance between the transmission region and a second bus line corresponding to the pixel region.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the first bus line is a source line and the second bus line is a gate line.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the transmission region is substantially rectangular in shape.