Liquid crystal panel, liquid crystal display device including liquid crystal panel, and method of manufacturing liquid crystal panel

A method of manufacturing a liquid crystal panel comprising an array substrate, a counter substrate arranged to face said array substrate, and a liquid crystal layer interposed between said array substrate and said counter substrate, said array substrate including multiple switching elements arranged in a matrix, a pixel electrode connected to said switching elements, and a counter electrode capable of forming a fringe electric field between said counter electrode and said pixel electrode, said switching elements, said pixel electrode, and said counter electrode being provided on an insulating substrate,

• the method comprising the steps of:
• forming one of said pixel electrode and said counter electrode as a slit electrode having a slit portion and stacking the other of said pixel electrode and said counter electrode over said slit electrode at said insulating substrate side with respect to said slit electrode interposing an insulating film therebetween;
• providing a biaxial phase difference film and an array substrate polarizing plate in this order on a surface of said insulating substrate of said array substrate opposite a side thereof facing said liquid crystal layer;
• providing a counter substrate polarizing plate on a side of said counter substrate opposite a side thereof facing said liquid crystal layer;
• forming said slit electrode such that said slit portion extends in a direction forming an angle exceeding 0° and not exceeding 15° relative to a horizontal direction of said liquid crystal panel in use;
• setting a pretilt angle of a liquid crystal molecule forming said liquid crystal layer on the side of said array substrate such that said liquid crystal molecule goes away from said array substrate in a direction to the left when viewed from a position facing a display surface of said liquid crystal panel, said direction to the left defining said horizontal direction, and setting said pretilt angle on the side of said counter substrate such that said liquid crystal molecule goes away from said counter substrate in a direction to the right when viewed from a position facing said display surface of said liquid crystal panel, said direction to the right defining said horizontal direction;
• and
• arranging one of a direction of a delay phase axis of said biaxial phase difference film and a direction of an absorption axis of said array substrate polarizing plate in a position rotated anticlockwise in an angular range from over 0° to 1° from said horizontal direction or arranging one of a direction of an absorption axis of said counter substrate polarizing plate and an alignment direction of said liquid crystal molecule in a position rotated clockwise in an angular range from over 0° to 1° from said horizontal direction.