US 5,928,733 A · Active-matrix liquid crystal display

Abstract

An active-matrix liquid crystal display device employing the in-plane switching mode in which an electric field substantially parallel to the substrate surface is applied to the liquid crystals, characterized by weak torsional anchoring of the liquid crystal molecules and the alignment layer surface at the liquid crystal/alignment layer interface to an extent that the extrapolation length which expresses the strength of said torsional anchoring will become not less than 10% of the gap between the substrates. For obtaining such weak torsional anchoring, an organic alignment layer comprising a polymer and/or oligomer having long-chain alkylene and/or fluoro groups, or an inorganic alignment layer formed by oblique evaporation technique, or a photo-reactive alignment layer formed by linearly polarized light irradiation is used.

Claims29

Dependent claims

An active-matrix liquid crystal display device comprising:

a pair of substrates at least one of which is transparent;
a liquid crystal layer disposed between said pair of substrates;
a group of electrodes for applying to said liquid crystal layer an electric field substantially parallel to the substrate plane and a plural number of active elements connected to said electrodes, said group of electrodes and active elements being formed on one of said pair of substrates;
an alignment layer disposed between said liquid crystal layer and at least one of said pair of substrates;
and
an optical means for changing the optical properties according to the state of molecular alignment of said liquid crystal layer formed on at least one of said pair of substrates,
wherein the extrapolation length which indicates the strength of torsional anchoring of the liquid crystal molecules and said alignment layer surface at the interface between said alignment layer and said liquid crystal layer is 10% or more of the gap between said pair of substrates.

4 more elements

An active-matrix liquid crystal display device comprising:

a pair of substrates at least one of which is transparent;
a liquid crystal layer disposed between said pair of substrates;
a group of electrodes for applying to said liquid crystal layer an electric field substantially parallel to the substrate plane and a plural number of active elements connected to said electrodes;
an alignment layer disposed between said liquid crystal layer and at least one of said pair of substrates;
and
an optical means for changing the optical properties according to the state of molecular alignment of said liquid crystal layer formed on at least one of said pair of substrates,
wherein the torsional anchoring coefficient A2 of said alignment layer surface against the liquid crystal molecules at the interface between said alignment layer and said liquid crystal layer is 20 .mu.N/m or less.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Active-matrix liquid crystal display

Life of this patent

Active-matrix liquid crystal display

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims29