Liquid crystal display device

A liquid crystal display device comprising, in the order set forth:

• a first polarizer;
• a first Type-I birefringent layer with an in-plane phase difference thereof being adjusted to λ/4;
• a liquid crystal cell including a pair of substrates opposed to each other and a liquid crystal layer disposed between the pair of substrates;
• a second Type-I birefringent layer with an in-plane phase difference thereof being adjusted to λ/4;
• a Type-IV birefringent layer;
• a third Type-I birefringent layer;
• and
• a second polarizer, where the Type-I birefringent layer is a birefringent layer satisfying nx>ny≧nz, and the Type-IV birefringent layer is a birefringent layer satisfying nx≈ny≦nz,
• an in-plane slow axis of the first Type-I birefringent layer forming an angle of about 45° with an absorption axis of the first polarizer,
• an in-plane slow axis of the second Type-I birefringent layer being substantially perpendicular to the in-plane slow axis of the first Type-I birefringent layer,
• an absorption axis of the second polarizer being substantially perpendicular to the absorption axis of the first polarizer,
• an in-plane slow axis of the third Type-I birefringent layer being substantially perpendicular to the absorption axis of the second polarizer,
• the liquid crystal cell satisfying a phase difference Rlc in the perpendicular direction of 275 nm or greater, and
• the liquid crystal display device displaying a black screen by aligning liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer in the direction substantially vertical to the substrate surface.