Liquid crystal display apparatus having a transparent layer covering a reflective layer

• US 7,133,094 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2003
• Issued: 11/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ogawa, Shinji, Inoue, Kazuhiro, Koma, Norio, Ishida, Satoshi, Yamada, Tsutomu, Yamashita, Tohru, Oda, Nobuhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): SCHECHTER, ANDREW M
• Application Number:
  US10/376,721
• Publication Number:
  US 20040004686A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,348 Days
• Field of Search: 349/113, 349/143, 349/147, 349/114
• US Class Current: 349/114
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133553 Reflecting elements associated to illuminating devices G02F1/133605
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133555 Transflectors

Abstract

A reflective layer for reflecting light incident from a second substrate side and transmitting through a second electrode made of ITO or the like is formed above a first substrate, a switching element provided for each pixel, and an insulating film covering the switching element, the reflective layer being insulated from the switching element. A first electrode having a work function similar to the second electrode and made of a transparent conductive material such as ITO is formed more proximate to a liquid crystal layer than is the reflective layer and is connected to the switching element. The thickness of the first electrode is set to 100 Å or less or in a range approximately from 750 Å to 1250 Å. Alternatively, the switching element maybe connected to the reflective electrode, the first electrode and the reflective electrode which are formed with an insulating film therebetween may be capacitively coupled, and the first electrode may be driven by the reflective electrode via the capacitor.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal display apparatus comprising a first substrate having a first electrode individually provided for each pixel, a second substrate having a second electrode, and a liquid crystal layer sealed between the first and second substrates, for achieving display in each pixel, wherein

the first substrate further comprises a switching element provided for each pixel and a reflective electrode for reflecting light incident from the second substrate side to the liquid crystal layer, the reflective electrode partially covering a pixel region and fanned above and electrically connected to the switching element;

a transparent electrode made of a transparent conductive material is formed as the first electrode above the reflective electrode with an insulating film therebetween;

the transparent electrode is capacitively coupled to the reflective electrode; and

a voltage supplied from the switching element to the reflective electrode is applied to the transparent electrode via a capacitor formed of the reflective electrode and the first electrode disposed with the insulating film therebetween.

2. A liquid crystal display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

a difference between a work function of the transparent conductive material of the first electrode and a work function of a transparent conductive material of the second electrode formed on a side, facing the liquid crystal layer, of the second substrate is 0.5 eV or less.

3. A liquid crystal display apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the drive frequency of the liquid crystal layer in each pixel is lower than 60 Hz.

4. A liquid crystal display apparatus comprising a first substrate having a first electrode individually provided for each pixel, a second substrate having a second electrode, and a liquid crystal layer sealed between the first and second substrates, for achieving display in each pixel, wherein

the first substrate further comprises a switching element provided for each pixel and a reflective electrode for reflecting light incident from the second substrate side to the liquid crystal layer, the reflective electrode formed above and electrically connected to the switching element;

a transparent electrode made of a transparent conductive material is formed as the first electrode above the reflective electrode with an insulating film therebetween;

the transparent electrode is capacitively coupled to the reflective electrode;

a voltage supplied from the switching element to the reflective electrode is applied to the transparent electrode via a capacitor formed of the reflective electrode and the first electrode disposed with the insulating film therebetween; and

a capacitance C1 of a pixel capacitor formed of the first electrode and the second electrode disposed to oppose each other with the liquid crystal layer therebetween and a capacitance C2 of the capacitor formed of the reflective electrode and the first electrode satisfy a condition, C2>

100×

C1.

5. A liquid crystal display apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

a difference between a work function of the transparent conductive material of the first electrode and a work function of a transparent conductive material of the second electrode formed on a side, facing the liquid crystal layer, of the second substrate is 0.5 eV or less.

6. A liquid crystal display apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the drive frequency of the liquid crystal layer in each pixel is lower than 60 Hz.

7. A liquid crystal display apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the thickness of the transparent electrode is in a range from 750 Å

to 1250 Å

.

8. A liquid crystal display apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the thickness of the transparent electrode is in a range from 1 Å

to 100 Å

.

9. A liquid crystal display apparatus comprising a first substrate having a first electrode individually provided for each pixel, a second substrate having a second electrode, and a liquid crystal layer sealed between the first and second substrates, for achieving display in each pixel, wherein

the first substrate further comprises a switching element provided for each pixel and a reflective electrode for reflecting light incident from the second substrate side to the liquid crystal layer, the reflective electrode formed above and electrically connected to the switching element;

a transparent electrode made of a transparent conductive material is formed as the first electrode above the reflective electrode with an insulating film therebetween;

the transparent electrode is capacitively coupled to the reflective electrode;

a voltage supplied from the switching element to the reflective electrode is applied to the transparent electrode via a capacitor formed of the reflective electrode and the first electrode disposed with the insulating film therebetween; and

an area S1 of the first electrode disposed to oppose the second electrode with the liquid crystal layer therebetween and an area S2 of the overlapping portion of the reflective electrode and the first electrode disposed to oppose each other with the insulating film therebetween satisfy a relationship, S2>

0.1×

S1.

10. A liquid crystal display apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

a difference between a work function of the transparent conductive material of the first electrode and a work function of a transparent conductive material of the second electrode formed on a side, facing the liquid crystal layer, of the second substrate is 0.5 eV or less.

11. A liquid crystal display apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the drive frequency of the liquid crystal layer in each pixel is lower than 60 Hz.

12. A liquid crystal display apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the thickness of the transparent electrode is in a range between 750 Å

and 1250 Å

.

13. A liquid crystal display apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the thickness of the transparent electrode is in a range between 1 Å

and 100 Å

.

14. A liquid crystal display apparatus comprising a first substrate having a first electrode, a second substrate having a second electrode, and a liquid crystal layer sealed between the first and second substrates, wherein

a reflective layer for reflecting light incident from the second substrate side to the liquid crystal layer is formed as a first electrode above the first substrate;

a transparent electrode made of a transparent conductive material is formed covering the reflective layer, the thickness of the transparent electrode being in a range from 1 Å

to 100 Å

;

a switching element corresponding to each pixel is provided between the reflective layer and the first substrate;

the switching element is connected to the reflective layer consisting the first electrode;

an insulating film is formed between the reflective layer and the transparent electrode;

the transparent electrode is capacitively coupled to the reflective layer via the insulating film; and

a voltage supplied from the switching element to the reflective layer is applied to the transparent electrode via a capacitor formed of the reflective layer and the transparent electrode disposed with the insulating film therebetween.

15. A liquid crystal display apparatus comprising a first substrate having a first electrode, a second substrate having a second electrode, and a liquid crystal layer sealed between the first and second substrates, wherein

a reflective layer for reflecting light incident from the second substrate side to the liquid crystal layer is provided above the first substrate,

the first electrode is a transparent electrode made of a transparent conductive metal oxide material and formed to cover the reflective layer, the thickness of the transparent electrode being in a range from 1 Å

to 100 Å

;

the second electrode is a transparent electrode made of a transparent conductive metal oxide material.

16. A liquid crystal display apparatus according to claim 15, wherein

the thickness of the transparent electrode on the first substrate is 10 Å

or greater.

17. A liquid crystal display apparatus according to claim 15, wherein a switching element corresponding to each pixel is provided between the reflective layer and the first substrate, and

the switching element is electrically connected to the first electrode.

18. A liquid crystal display apparatus according to claim 15, wherein

a difference between a work function of the transparent conductive material of the first electrode and a work function of a transparent conductive material of the second electrode formed on a side, facing the liquid crystal layer, of the second substrate is 0.5 eV or less.

19. A liquid crystal display apparatus according to claim 15, wherein

a switching element corresponding to each pixel is provided between the reflective layer and the first substrate;

the switching element is electrically connected to the transparent electrode;

an insulating film is formed between the transparent electrode and the reflective layer;

the transparent electrode is capacitively coupled to the reflective layer via the insulating film; and

a voltage supplied from the switching element to the reflective layer is applied to the transparent electrode via a capacitor formed by the reflective layer and the transparent electrode disposed with the insulating film therebetween.

20. A liquid crystal display apparatus according to claim 15, wherein

a natural oxide film of the reflective layer is formed on a surface of the reflective layer covered by the first electrode.

21. A liquid crystal display apparatus comprising a first substrate having a first electrode, a second substrate having a second electrode, and a liquid crystal layer sealed between the first and second substrates, wherein

a reflective layer for reflecting light incident from the second substrate side to the liquid crystal layer is formed as a first electrode above the first substrate;

a transparent electrode made of a transparent conductive metal oxide material is formed covering the reflective layer, the thickness of the transparent electrode being in a range from 1 Å

to 100 Å

; and

the second electrode is a transparent electrode made of a transparent conductive metal oxide material.

22. A liquid crystal display apparatus according to claim 21, wherein

the thickness of the transparent electrode on the first substrate is 10 Å

or greater.

23. A liquid crystal display apparatus according to claim 21, wherein

a switching element corresponding to each pixel is provided between the reflective layer and the first substrate, and

the switching element is electrically connected to the first electrode.

24. A liquid crystal display apparatus according to claim 21, wherein

a difference between a work function of the transparent conductive material of the transparent electrode and a work function of a transparent conductive material of the second electrode formed on a side, facing the liquid crystal layer, of the second substrate is 0.5 eV or less.