JP2002040457A - Liquid crystal display device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide such a liquid crystal display device that the array state of liquid crystal molecules when a voltage is applied becomes stable in a short time and the visual field angle is wide. SOLUTION: This liquid crystal device has a pixel electrode 44 arranged on a 1st substrate 1, a counter electrode 10 arranged on a 2nd substrate 7, and liquid crystal 13 with negative dielectric constant anisotropy charged between the 1st substrate 1 and 2nd substrate 7; and horizontal alignment films 11 and 12 having the same alignment direction are laminated on the 1st substrate 1 and 2nd substrate 7. One pixel is divided into areas B1 to B4, an end part 4a of the pixel electrode 4 and an end part 10a of the counter electrode 10 are arranged shifting from each other by the areas B1 to B4, and when a voltage is applied, an oblique electric field is produced between those end parts 4a and 10a. The liquid crystal molecules 14 which are horizontally aligned in the absence of an electric field have their oblique direction and rotation direction restricted by the oblique electric field and are aligned differently by the areas B1 to B4.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display device, and more particularly to a liquid crystal display device having improved viewing angle characteristics.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art At present, a liquid crystal display device has a TN (Twisted
Nematic) system is widely used and maintains high performance and quality. However, with widespread use in portable terminals, large-size televisions, and the like, higher performance is required, and various types of liquid crystal display devices have been proposed. For example, since the TN method has a problem that the viewing angle is narrow, an IPS (In-Plane Switching) type liquid crystal display device that applies an electric field applied to the liquid crystal layer in a direction parallel to the substrate is proposed as a method capable of realizing a wide viewing angle. Have been. The IPS type liquid crystal display device is disclosed in, for example, JP-A-10-307291 and JP-A-11-38438.

In the IPS type liquid crystal display device, liquid crystal having a positive dielectric anisotropy is sealed between a pair of substrates, and a comb-shaped pixel electrode and a comb-shaped common electrode are arranged on one of the substrates. ing.
The alignment films on both substrates are subjected to horizontal alignment processing in substantially the same direction as the direction of the comb-shaped electrodes, and when no voltage is applied to the pixel electrodes, the liquid crystal molecules are horizontally aligned in the same direction as the alignment direction. A polarizing plate is arranged outside the substrate so as to face the substrate, the transmission axes of the two polarizing plates are 90 degrees, and the orientation directions of the substrates facing the transmission axis of the polarizing plate are the same or orthogonal. It is set as follows. The transmitted light that has passed through one polarizer passes through the liquid crystal layer as linearly polarized light, but at this time, the transmitted light passes through the liquid crystal layer without birefringence because the liquid crystal molecules are aligned horizontally without twisting. . Therefore, the transmitted light is blocked by the other polarizing plate, so that a dark display is obtained. When a voltage is applied to the pixel electrode, a lateral electric field is generated in the liquid crystal layer, and since the dielectric anisotropy of the liquid crystal molecules is positive, some of the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer are twisted in the direction of the electric field. At this time, the transmitted light of the linearly polarized light that has passed through one of the polarizing plates is birefringent when passing through the liquid crystal layer to become the transmitted light of the elliptically polarized light, and passes through the other polarizing plate to provide a bright display.

In order to widen the viewing angle, there has been proposed a liquid crystal display device in which a plurality of regions having different inclination directions of liquid crystal molecules are provided to improve the contrast of the entire pixel.
As means for regulating the tilt direction of the liquid crystal molecules, there is a device in which a slit or a protrusion is formed in a pixel electrode or a common electrode.
JP-A-9-22025, JP-A-6-194657
And JP-A-2000-75302.

A conventional liquid crystal display device will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing an alignment state of liquid crystal molecules when no electric field is applied, and FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing an alignment state of liquid crystal molecules when a voltage is applied. Reference numeral 100 denotes a pixel electrode provided on one substrate 101, and 102 denotes a counter electrode provided on the other substrate 103. A liquid crystal 104 having a positive dielectric anisotropy is sealed between the pair of substrates 101 and 103. ing. A slit 105 is formed in the pixel electrode 100 and the counter electrode 102, and the slit 105 is arranged to be shifted from each other. An alignment film 106 is laminated on both substrates 101 and 103, and both alignment films 106 are subjected to horizontal alignment processing in the same direction.

When no electric field is applied, as shown in FIG.
The liquid crystal molecules 104a are arranged horizontally in the alignment direction of the alignment film 106, and when a voltage is applied, an electric field is applied as shown by a dotted line in FIG. 8, so that the liquid crystal molecules 104a rise in the direction of the electric field. By changing the arrangement state of the liquid crystal molecules 104a in this manner, the liquid crystal layer 104
Adjusts the effect of birefringence on transmitted light to achieve black and white display. When a voltage is applied, an electric field is applied obliquely in the vicinity of the slit 105, so that the liquid crystal molecules 104a have different inclinations when rising, and a plurality of regions where the liquid crystal molecules 104a have different inclination directions can be formed.

[0007]

However, there is a problem that the response speed is slow in the case of forming a plurality of areas by the IPS system or the conventional form. This is because, in the case of the IPS method, the pixel electrode and the common electrode are formed on one substrate, so that when the voltage is applied, the electric field on the other substrate on which the pixel electrode and the like are not formed is weak, and the alignment state of the liquid crystal molecules is low. It takes time to stabilize.

When a plurality of regions are formed, liquid crystal molecules having a positive dielectric anisotropy are used, and liquid crystal molecules which are horizontally arranged when no voltage is applied are vertically arranged when voltage is applied. Therefore, it is difficult to stabilize the alignment state of the liquid crystal molecules in a short time. In some cases, liquid crystal with negative dielectric anisotropy is used.In this case, liquid crystal molecules that are vertically aligned when no voltage is applied are horizontally aligned when voltage is applied. It takes time.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a liquid crystal display device in which the arrangement state of liquid crystal molecules during application of an electric field is stable in a short time and has a wide viewing angle.

[0010]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus comprising: a pixel electrode formed on a first substrate; a counter electrode formed on a second substrate; In a liquid crystal display device in which a liquid crystal having negative dielectric anisotropy is sealed between the two substrates with a second substrate opposed to the two substrates, an alignment film that has been subjected to a horizontal alignment process in the same direction is provided on both substrates. The pixel is divided into a plurality of regions, and a pixel electrode and a counter electrode are arranged such that their ends are shifted from each other in each region.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a pixel electrode formed on a first substrate, and a counter electrode formed on a second substrate. In a liquid crystal display device in which liquid crystal having a negative dielectric anisotropy is enclosed, an alignment film subjected to a horizontal alignment process in the same direction is provided on both substrates, and one pixel is divided into a plurality of regions. The pixel electrode and the counter electrode are arranged such that an electric field in an oblique direction to the second substrate is generated between a peripheral portion of the pixel electrode and a peripheral portion of the counter electrode.

The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that the size of each region in one pixel is set to be equal.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, one pixel includes four pixels.
It is divided into two regions.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a slit is formed at a boundary portion of a region in a pixel electrode disposed in one pixel, a counter electrode is provided for each pixel, and the pixel electrode is viewed from the second substrate side. When it is located inside the pixel electrode.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a second substrate comprising a substantially square pixel electrode having a cross-shaped slit formed inside, and a roughly square counter electrode slightly smaller than the pixel electrode. When viewed from the side, a counter electrode is arranged inside the pixel electrode.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a liquid crystal display device having a first polarizing plate provided outside a first substrate and a second polarizing plate provided outside a second substrate. The transmission axis is orthogonal to the transmission axis of the second polarizing plate, and the transmission axis of either the first polarizing plate or the second polarizing plate is set to be the same as the horizontal alignment direction of the alignment film. It is characterized by.

[0017]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an arrangement relationship between a pixel electrode and a counter electrode, and FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

Reference numeral 1 denotes a first substrate such as a glass substrate, on which scanning lines 2 and signal lines 3 are arranged in a matrix. A region surrounded by the scanning line 2 and the signal line 3 corresponds to one pixel, and a pixel electrode 4 is arranged in this region, and a thin film transistor 5 (hereinafter referred to as a TFT) is formed at an intersection of the scanning line 2 and the signal line 3. Is done. The TFT 5 is formed by stacking a source electrode 5b and a drain electrode 5c extending from the signal line 3 on a gate electrode 5a extending from the scanning line 2. An insulating film 6 is laminated on the source electrode 5b and the drain electrode 5c, and the drain electrode 5c and the pixel electrode 4 are connected via a contact hole formed in the insulating film 6.

Reference numeral 7 denotes a second substrate formed of a glass substrate or the like. On the second substrate 7, a lattice-like black matrix 8 is formed. The black matrix 8 is provided at a position corresponding to the scanning lines 2 and the signal lines 3 on the first substrate 1. Reference numeral 9 denotes a color filter provided for each pixel, which is arranged in the order of R, G, and B in parallel with the scanning line 2. Reference numeral 10 denotes a counter electrode formed of ITO or the like, which is formed on the color filter 9. The dashed line in FIG. 1 indicates the outer edge of the counter electrode, and the counter electrode 10 is arranged so as to be located inside the pixel electrode 4 when viewed from the second substrate 7 side.

11 is an alignment film laminated on the first substrate 1,
Reference numeral 12 denotes an alignment film laminated on the second substrate 7, and the alignment films 11 and 12 are subjected to horizontal alignment processing in the same direction. A liquid crystal layer 13 having a negative dielectric anisotropy is interposed between the first substrate 1 and the second substrate 7, and due to the influence of the alignment films 11 and 12 when no voltage is applied to the pixel electrode 4 when no electric field is applied. The liquid crystal molecules 14 of the liquid crystal layer 13 are arranged in the horizontal direction with respect to the substrates 1 and 7. Reference numeral 15 denotes a first polarizing plate disposed outside the first substrate 1, and reference numeral 16 denotes a second polarizing plate disposed outside the second substrate 7. The first polarizing plate 15 and the second polarizing plate 16 are arranged such that their transmission axes are orthogonal to each other and one of the transmission axes is in the same direction as the horizontal alignment direction of the alignment films 11 and 12.

In the present invention, the edge 4a of the pixel electrode 4 and the edge 10a of the counter electrode 10 are arranged so as to be shifted from each other. When a voltage is applied to the pixel electrode 4, an electric field in an oblique direction near the edges 4a and 10a is generated. Is to occur. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG.
A cross-shaped slit 17 is formed in the pixel electrode 4, and the pixel electrode 4 is divided almost equally into four regions B1 to B4. Although the pixel electrodes 4 in the four regions B1 to B4 are electrically connected by the connection portions 18, the arrangement state of the liquid crystal molecules 14 is disturbed near the connection portions 18 in consideration of the arrangement state of the liquid crystal molecules 14 when a voltage is applied. Therefore, it is preferable to completely divide the pixel electrode 4 into four parts. Therefore, the connecting portion 18 is connected to the liquid crystal molecules 14.
Is desirably formed at a position where the arrangement state is hardly disturbed as much as possible.

The counter electrode 10 is also provided for each pixel, and has a shape in which the pixel electrode 4 is made one size smaller and the slit 17 is not formed. The counter electrode 10 is arranged so as to fit within the pixel electrode 4 when observed from the second substrate 7 side,
The distance between the edge 10a of the counter electrode 10 and the edge 4a of the pixel electrode 4 is substantially equal over the periphery. Counter electrode 1
Numeral 0 is electrically connected to the opposing electrode 10 of the adjacent pixel at the connection portion 19, and this connection portion 19 causes the disorder of the arrangement state of the liquid crystal molecules 14 similarly to the connection portion 18 of the pixel electrode 4. Easily. Therefore, it is desirable that the connecting portion 19 is also formed at a position where the alignment state of the liquid crystal molecules 14 is hardly disturbed.

When the pixel electrode 4 and the counter electrode 10 are arranged to face each other, the outer edge 4a of the pixel electrode 4 as shown in FIG.
The edge 10b of the counter electrode 10 is located on the inner side, and the counter electrode 10 is located closer to the center than the inner edge 4a of the pixel electrode 4. Accordingly, when a voltage is applied to the pixel electrode 4, an electric field in an oblique direction is generated near the edge 4a of the pixel electrode 4 as shown by a dotted line in FIG. 2, and the tilt direction of the liquid crystal molecules 14 is changed by the electric field in the oblique direction. Be regulated.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are views showing the arrangement of liquid crystal molecules when no electric field is applied, and FIGS. 5 and 6 are views showing the arrangement of liquid crystal molecules when a voltage is applied. 3 and 5 correspond to diagrams schematically illustrating the cross-sectional view of FIG. 2, and FIGS. 4 and 6 correspond to diagrams schematically illustrating the plan view of FIG. 1 for one pixel. 4 and 6, a solid square indicates the pixel electrode 4, a dotted square indicates the counter electrode 10, and a dashed line indicates the boundary between the regions B1 to B4.

The arrows in FIG. 3 indicate the alignment directions of the alignment films 11 and 12, the arrow on the first substrate 1 indicates the alignment direction of the alignment film 11, and the arrow on the second substrate 7 indicates the alignment direction of the alignment film 12. Is shown. The alignment films 11 and 12 are subjected to horizontal alignment processing by rubbing or the like, and the direction of the arrow means this rubbing direction. Since the alignment films 11 and 12 have been subjected to the horizontal alignment process, the liquid crystal molecules 14 are horizontally aligned in this alignment direction when no electric field is applied. At this time, the liquid crystal molecules 14 near the alignment films 11 and 12 are formed.
Is tilted at a tilt angle θ, but in this embodiment, since the alignment directions of the alignment films 11 and 12 are the same, the first substrate 1
The tilts of the liquid crystal molecules 14 on the side of the first substrate 1 and the liquid crystal molecules 14 on the side of the second substrate 7 are in opposite directions. The leftmost liquid crystal molecules 14 are located closer to the second substrate 7. If the alignment directions of the alignment films 11 and 12 are reversed, the first substrate 1
The liquid crystal molecules 14 on the side and the liquid crystal molecules 14 on the side of the second substrate 7 are inclined in the same direction. In the present invention, such an alignment treatment may be performed. FIG. 4 shows the liquid crystal molecules 14 located on the second substrate 7 side.
The circle marked on one end of the liquid crystal molecules 14 means the end closer to the second substrate 7 and indicates the tilted state of the liquid crystal molecules 14. 4 indicate transmission axes of the polarizing plates 15 and 16. In this embodiment, the transmission axis of the first polarizing plate 15 is in the same direction as the alignment direction of the alignment film 11. It is set to be.

At this time, the transmitted light of the linearly polarized light that has passed through the first polarizing plate 15 has the same polarization state as that of the liquid crystal without birefringence because the amplitude direction of the transmitted light coincides with the major axis direction of the liquid crystal molecules 14. Passes through layer 13. And the second polarizing plate 1
The transmitted light reaching 6 is blocked by the second polarizing plate 16 because the amplitude direction of the linearly polarized light is orthogonal to the transmission axis, and the liquid crystal display device displays a good black display.

When a voltage is applied to the pixel electrode 4, an electric field is generated between the pixel electrode 4 and the counter electrode 10 as shown by a dotted line in FIG. At this time, since the liquid crystal molecules 14 have negative dielectric anisotropy, they fall in a direction perpendicular to the electric field. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, the liquid crystal molecules 14 in the region B1 are inclined by the influence of the oblique electric field generated at the edge 4a of the pixel electrode 4 so that the left end is closer to the second substrate 7, and the region B4 Liquid crystal molecules 14 are affected by an oblique electric field generated at the edge 4a of the pixel electrode 4, and the right end of the
Tilt to be more. The edge 4a of the pixel electrode 4
The liquid crystal molecules 14b located further inside the pixel electrode 4 are similarly inclined by being affected by the inclination direction of the liquid crystal molecules 14a located at the edge 4a of the pixel electrode 4.

When observing each of the regions B1 to B4, oblique electric fields are generated at the edges 4a of the four sides of the pixel electrodes 4 in the regions B1 to B4 as shown in FIG. 6, and the directions of the electric fields are also different. Therefore, the liquid crystal molecules 14a near each side rotate in the horizontal direction according to the direction of the electric field generated in each side, and the direction of each liquid crystal molecule 14 changes. For example, the case of the region B1 will be described. The arrows shown near each side of the pixel electrode 4 in the region B1 indicate the direction of the electric field, and the electric field on the side B1-1 is the counter electrode 1
0, and the electric field on the side B1-4 is generated in the direction of the counter electrode 10. The electric field directions of the side B1-1 and the side B1-3 are the same, the electric field directions of the side B1-2 and the side B1-4 are the same, and the electric field directions of the side B1-1 and the side B1-4 are orthogonal.
An electric field is generated in the direction of the corner of the counter electrode 10 at the corner between the side B1-1 and the side B1-4, and an electric field is generated in the same direction at the corner of the side B1-2 and the side B1-3. Since the liquid crystal molecules 14 rotate in the horizontal direction from the state without the electric field according to the direction of each electric field, the liquid crystal molecules 14 near the side B1-1 and the side B1-3 are rotated.
a is in the same direction, the liquid crystal molecules 14a near the side B1-2 and the side B1-4 are in the same direction, and the directions of the liquid crystal molecules 14a near the side B1-1 and the side B1-4 are orthogonal to each other. B
The liquid crystal molecules 14a located at the corners of 1-1 and B1-4 and the liquid crystal molecules 14a located at the corners of sides 1-2 and 1-3 face the center of the pixel.

The liquid crystal molecules 14 in the region B1 are oriented in a plurality of directions. Optically, the liquid crystal molecules 14 act on each other, and the entire region B1 is oriented in the direction of the liquid crystal molecules 14c. The same applies to the regions B2 to B4, and the directions of the liquid crystal molecules 14 are as shown in FIG. Here, the area B1
And the liquid crystal molecules 14c in the region B3 face the opposite direction, and the region B2
Since the liquid crystal molecules 14c of the region B4 and the region B4 face in opposite directions, the region B1 and the region B3 compensate the viewing angle characteristics, and the region B2 and the region B4 compensate the viewing angle characteristics. The area B1
And the direction of the liquid crystal molecules 14c in the region B2 are orthogonal to each other,
Since the sizes of 1 to B4 are uniform, the viewing angle characteristics from each direction are improved in a well-balanced manner when the entire pixel is viewed.

When the transmitted light of linearly polarized light that has passed through the first polarizing plate 15 passes through the liquid crystal layer 13, the transmitted light is multiplied by the liquid crystal layer 13 because the amplitude direction of the transmitted light and the major axis direction of the liquid crystal molecules 14 c are different. It is refracted and becomes elliptically polarized light. In this case, the effect of birefringence increases when the amplitude direction of the transmitted light and the major axis direction of the liquid crystal molecules 14c form about 45 degrees. Therefore, it is preferable to adjust the liquid crystal molecules 14 so as to satisfy such conditions when voltage is applied. Is preferred. Since the transmitted light of the elliptically polarized light can pass through the second polarizing plate 16, the liquid crystal display device displays white. At this time, since there are four regions B1 to B4 in which the inclination and the direction of the liquid crystal molecules 14 are different for each pixel, it is possible to obtain a wide viewing angle with less display unevenness.

In the present invention, the edge of the pixel electrode and the edge of the counter electrode are arranged to be shifted from each other in each region within one pixel. Therefore, oblique electric fields are generated on the four sides of the pixel electrode in each region, and the tilt direction and the rotation direction of the liquid crystal molecules are restricted on the four sides. Therefore, when the voltage is applied, all the liquid crystal molecules in each region are aligned. The time it takes to change and stabilize the state can be shortened. Further, according to the present invention, the liquid crystal molecules which are horizontally arranged in the absence of an electric field are rotated in the horizontal direction when a voltage is applied, so that the response speed is faster than in the case where the arrangement state of the liquid crystal molecules is changed from the horizontal arrangement to the vertical arrangement.

In this embodiment, the case where the slit 17 is formed in the pixel electrode 4 and the counter electrode 10 is located inside the end 4a of the pixel electrode 4 has been described. Other forms are possible within the scope. For example, a slit may be formed in the counter electrode, and the pixel electrode may be located inside the end of the counter electrode for each pixel.

[0033]

According to the present invention, when the voltage is applied from the absence of an electric field, the liquid crystal molecules in a horizontal arrangement rotate in the horizontal direction to change the arrangement state, and one pixel is divided into a plurality of regions. Since the tilt direction and the rotation direction of the liquid crystal molecules are regulated at the peripheral portion of the pixel electrode in each region, the response speed is increased.

Further, when a voltage is applied, a plurality of regions having different inclinations and directions of liquid crystal molecules exist for each pixel, so that a liquid crystal display device having a wide viewing angle can be realized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an arrangement relationship between a pixel electrode and a counter electrode of a liquid crystal display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an alignment state of liquid crystal molecules when no electric field is applied.

FIG. 4 is a plan view schematically showing an arrangement state of liquid crystal molecules when no electric field is applied.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an alignment state of liquid crystal molecules when a voltage is applied.

FIG. 6 is a plan view schematically showing an alignment state of liquid crystal molecules when a voltage is applied.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an alignment state of liquid crystal molecules when no electric field is applied in a conventional liquid crystal display device.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an alignment state of liquid crystal molecules when a voltage is applied in a conventional liquid crystal display device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 first substrate 4 pixel electrode 7 second substrate 8 black matrix 9 color filter 10 counter electrode 11 alignment film 12 alignment film 14 liquid crystal molecule 15 first polarizing plate 16 second polarizing plate 17 slit

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Tsuyoshi Suzaki 3-201 Minamiyoshikata, Tottori-shi, Tottori Tottori Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Hiroyuki Kase 3-201 Minamiyoshikata, Tottori-shi, Tottori Sanyo Tottori Inside Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Yoshitaka Mori 3-201 Minamiyoshikata, Tottori City, Tottori Pref. GA13 GA20 GA21 JB02 JB04 NA01 PA02

Claims (7)

[Claims] A first electrode formed on a first substrate; and a counter electrode formed on a second substrate, wherein the first substrate and the second substrate are disposed to face each other, and a dielectric anisotropy is provided between the two substrates. In a liquid crystal display device in which a negative liquid crystal is sealed, an alignment film that has been subjected to a horizontal alignment process in the same direction is provided on both of the substrates.
A liquid crystal display device, wherein a pixel is divided into a plurality of regions, and the pixel electrode and the counter electrode are arranged such that their ends are shifted from each other in each region. 2. A semiconductor device comprising: a pixel electrode formed on a first substrate; and a counter electrode formed on a second substrate, wherein the first substrate and the second substrate are disposed to face each other, and a dielectric anisotropy is provided between the two substrates. In a liquid crystal display device in which a negative liquid crystal is sealed, an alignment film that has been subjected to a horizontal alignment process in the same direction is provided on both of the substrates.
The pixel is divided into a plurality of regions, and the pixel electrode and the counter electrode are formed such that an electric field in an oblique direction with respect to the second substrate is generated between a peripheral portion of the pixel electrode and a peripheral portion of the counter electrode in each region. A liquid crystal display device characterized by being arranged. 3. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the size of each region in one pixel is set to be equal. 4. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the inside of one pixel is divided into four regions. 5. A pixel electrode disposed in one pixel is provided with a slit at a boundary portion of the region, a counter electrode is provided for each pixel, and the pixel electrode is viewed from the second substrate side. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal display device is disposed inside. 6. A substantially square pixel electrode having a cross-shaped slit formed inside, and a roughly square counter electrode slightly smaller than the pixel electrode, when viewed from the second substrate side. 6. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein a counter electrode is disposed inside the pixel electrode. 7. A liquid crystal display device comprising a first polarizing plate provided outside the first substrate and a second polarizing plate provided outside the second substrate, wherein the transmission axis of the first polarizing plate is The transmission axes of the second polarizing plate are orthogonal to each other, and the transmission axis of one of the first polarizing plate and the second polarizing plate is set to be the same as the horizontal alignment direction of the alignment film. 7. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein: