Liquid crystal display device having a pixel electrode layer positioned between first and second common electrode layers

• US 8,547,503 B2
• Filed: 05/11/2011
• Issued: 10/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kubota, Daisuke, Yamashita, Akio, Fukai, Shuji, Hirakata, Yoshiharu
• Primary Examiner(s): CALEY, MICHAEL H
• Application Number:
  US13/105,346
• Publication Number:
  US 20110285940A1
• Time in Patent Office: 874 Days
• Field of Search: 349/38, 349/39, 349/86, 349/113, 349/138
• US Class Current: 349/86
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133371 Cells with varying thickness of the liquid crystal layer
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1334 based on polymer dispersed liquid crystals, e.g. microencapsulated liquid crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/134336 Matrix

Abstract

By providing a pixel electrode layer in a center of a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between a first common electrode layer and a second common electrode layer, a structure in which the following two optical elements are stacked can be obtained: a first liquid crystal element including the first common electrode layer, the liquid crystal layer, and the pixel electrode layer; and a second liquid crystal element including the pixel electrode layer, the liquid crystal layer, and the second common electrode layer.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal display device comprising:

a first substrate;

a second substrate;

a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the first substrate and the second substrate, the liquid crystal layer comprising a polymer dispersed liquid crystal material;

a first common electrode layer provided between the first substrate and the liquid crystal layer;

a second common electrode layer provided between the second substrate and the liquid crystal layer, the second common electrode layer having a light-transmitting property; and

a structure body and a pixel electrode layer that comprise an opening and are stacked between the first common electrode layer and the liquid crystal layer,

wherein the first common electrode layer overlaps with the opening, and

wherein in the liquid crystal layer, the pixel electrode layer is positioned between the first common electrode layer and the second common electrode layer by the structure body.

2. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1,

wherein the pixel electrode layer has reflectivity.

3. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1,

wherein the pixel electrode layer has a light-transmitting property.

4. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, further comprising a transistor between the first substrate and the first common electrode layer,

wherein the transistor is electrically connected to the pixel electrode layer.

5. A liquid crystal display device comprising:

a first substrate;

a second substrate;

a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the first substrate and the second substrate, the liquid crystal layer comprising a polymer dispersed liquid crystal material;

a first common electrode layer provided between the first substrate and the liquid crystal layer, the first common electrode layer having a light-transmitting property;

a second common electrode layer provided between the second substrate and the liquid crystal layer, the second common electrode layer having a light-transmitting property;

a structure body and a pixel electrode layer that comprise an opening and are stacked between the first common electrode layer and the liquid crystal layer, and

a coloring layer provided between the first substrate and the first common electrode layer,

wherein the first common electrode layer overlaps with the opening, and

wherein in the liquid crystal layer, the pixel electrode layer is positioned between the first common electrode layer and the second common electrode layer by the structure body.

6. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 5,

wherein the coloring layer is a black layer.

7. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 5,

wherein the pixel electrode layer has reflectivity.

8. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 5,

wherein the pixel electrode layer has a light-transmitting property.

9. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 5, further comprising a transistor between the first substrate and the first common electrode layer,

wherein the transistor is electrically connected to the pixel electrode layer.

10. A liquid crystal display device comprising:

a first substrate;

a first common electrode layer over the first substrate;

a structure body over the first common electrode layer;

a pixel electrode layer over the structure body;

a second common electrode layer over the pixel electrode layer;

a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the first common electrode layer and the second common electrode layer; and

a second substrate over the second common electrode layer,

wherein the structure body and the pixel electrode layer comprise an opening, and

wherein the first common electrode layer overlaps with the opening.

11. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 10,

wherein the structure body and the pixel electrode layer comprise an opening.

12. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 10,

wherein the first common electrode layer and the second common electrode layer have a light-transmitting property.

13. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 10,

wherein the pixel electrode layer has reflectivity.

14. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 10,

wherein the pixel electrode layer has a light-transmitting property.

15. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 10, further comprising a transistor between the first substrate and the first common electrode layer,

wherein the transistor is electrically connected to the pixel electrode layer.