JP2000019525A - Liquid crystal optical element - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid crystal optical element which is capable of preventing the disturbance in alignment by external force and makes it possible to obtain excellent image quality. SOLUTION: The liquid crystal layer 15 of the liquid optical element 1 having liquid crystal cells 10 holding a liquid crystal layer 15 between a pair of substrates 11, 12 with electrodes is internally provided with non-liquid crystalline high-polymer parts 16 connecting a pair of the substrates 11, 12 in an island shape to provide the high-polymer parts 16 with light shieldability. As a result, the light scattering at the boundaries of the high-polymer parts 16 and the liquid crystals 15 may be suppressed and the transmitted light quantity of the high-polymer parts 16 may be decreased and, therefore, the image quality may be improved. The distance between the substrates 11, 12 may be maintained constant by the high-polymer parts 16 and the relative positions thereof may be fixed and, therefore, the disturbance in the alignment by the external force may be prevented.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a liquid crystal optical element having a liquid crystal cell in which a liquid crystal layer is sandwiched between a pair of substrates with electrodes.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A liquid crystal optical element utilizing the electro-optical effect of liquid crystal is generally constituted by using a liquid crystal cell having a liquid crystal layer provided between a pair of substrates with electrodes. As this liquid crystal optical element, an optical shutter, a liquid crystal display panel, and the like in which a liquid crystal cell and a polarizing plate are combined are known. For example, in an optical shutter in which a liquid crystal cell is sandwiched between two polarizing plates, when the liquid crystal layer is made of ferroelectric liquid crystal, by controlling the refractive index anisotropy of the ferroelectric liquid crystal and the thickness of the liquid crystal layer, Π for incident polarization
Gives a phase difference of Thus, by switching the liquid crystal by changing the polarity of the applied voltage, transmission and blocking of light can be controlled.

[0003] Such an optical shutter is used for a display device such as a stereoscopic television or a field sequential type high definition color monitor. In stereoscopic television, an image displayed on a color monitor is time-divided by an optical shutter, and a right-eye image and a left-eye image are switched to be incident on the right eye and the left eye, respectively. Specifically, a neutral polarizing plate and a liquid crystal cell are overlapped to form an optical shutter, and this optical shutter is arranged on the front of a color monitor so that the neutral polarizing plate and the monitor face each other. In addition, polarizers whose polarization directions are orthogonal to each other for the right eye and the left eye are provided in each lens unit of the glasses to form polarized glasses. That is, the relationship between the neutral polarizing plate of the optical shutter and the polarizer of the polarizing glasses is crossed Nicols for one eye and paranicols for the other eye. Then, the image for the right eye and the image for the left eye are alternately displayed at high speed on the color monitor. When an observer wearing polarized glasses observes this image, the right eye observes only the image for the right eye, and the left eye observes only the image for the left eye, so that the image is recognized as a stereoscopic image.

A field sequential high-definition color monitor displays red, green, and blue images sequentially,
This is to obtain a full-color display with higher definition than a normal color monitor. In other words, 2
An optical shutter combining four liquid crystal cells, four color polarizers and one neutral polarizer is arranged, and the liquid crystal is operated in synchronism with the black and white image, so that red, green, and blue images are sequentially formed. It is displayed and recognized as a full-color image.

[0005] A liquid crystal cell used for a liquid crystal optical element such as an optical shutter is generally formed using a glass substrate. For this reason, a cell must be formed by assembling a glass substrate, and the liquid crystal must be vacuum-injected into the assembled cell, which is troublesome and easily damaged by external force, resulting in poor handling. In order to solve these problems, there is a method of increasing the bending strength by making the substrate made of a flexible plastic. However, in this method, although the substrate is not damaged, the substrate is deformed by external force, particularly in a liquid crystal display panel due to a pressing force by a person, so that the distance between the substrates changes and the liquid crystal flows,
There has been a problem that the orientation is disturbed and the display is disturbed.

In order to prevent the liquid crystal from being disturbed due to the flexibility of the plastic substrate, there is a method in which columns made of a non-liquid crystal polymer are erected in the liquid crystal layer and the plastic substrates are connected to each other. It has been proposed (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No.
No. 6). According to this method, even when an external force is applied, the distance between the substrates can be kept constant by the columnar polymer portion, so that the disorder of the orientation can be prevented.

[0007]

However, since the refractive index of the liquid crystal is different from that of the non-liquid crystalline polymer constituting the polymer part, light scattering occurs at the interface between the liquid crystal and the polymer part, resulting in poor image quality. There was a problem of lowering. For example,
In the case of the above-described stereoscopic television, the recognized stereoscopic image tends to be whitish and blurred, and the field-sequential color monitor has a problem that the image is blurred and the color reproducibility is deteriorated. In addition, since transparent polymers are mostly optically isotropic and do not have the function of controlling the polarization direction unlike liquid crystals, incident light passes through the polymer part as it is, causing light leakage. There is a problem that image quality is deteriorated.

For example, in the case of the above-described stereoscopic television, when the neutral polarizer of the optical shutter and the polarizer of the polarizing glasses are in a paranicol state, when the light blocking mode is set, the polarization direction of the light is changed. It is rotated by the liquid crystal layer and cut off by polarized glasses. At this time, the light that has entered the polymer portion in the liquid crystal layer is emitted without changing the polarization direction, and therefore passes through the polarizer of the polarizing glasses, despite the mode of blocking the light. For this reason, there is a problem that the contrast difference of the image becomes large on the side where the relationship between the neutral polarizer and the polarizer is paranicole and the side where the cross polarizer is crossed, so that double reflection occurs. Also,
In the case of the above-described field-sequential color monitor, light transmitted through the polymer section is emitted without controlling the polarization direction, and thus excellent color reproducibility cannot be obtained.

An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid crystal optical element capable of preventing disturbance of alignment due to external force and obtaining excellent image quality.

[0010]

The object of the present invention is to achieve the above object by providing a polymer portion with a light absorbing ability. Specifically, the present invention relates to a liquid crystal optical element including a liquid crystal cell in which a liquid crystal layer is sandwiched between a pair of substrates with electrodes, wherein a non-liquid crystal connecting the pair of substrates is provided in the liquid crystal layer. Is provided in an island shape, and the polymer portion has a light shielding property.

In the present invention, since the polymer portion has a light-shielding property, light incident on the polymer portion can be absorbed, so that light scattering at the interface between the polymer portion and the liquid crystal can be suppressed, and the angle of the incident light can be reduced. Regardless, the amount of light transmitted through the polymer portion can be reduced, so that image quality can be improved. That is, the amount of light transmitted through the polymer portion can be reduced, and in the case of the above-described stereoscopic television, light leakage in a mode in which light is blocked can be reduced, so that a clear image without double reflection can be obtained. In a field-sequential color monitor, light incident on the polymer portion can be cut, so that only light whose polarization direction is controlled by the liquid crystal layer can be emitted from the liquid crystal cell, and good color reproducibility can be obtained. Can be Since the pair of substrates are connected by the polymer portion, the distance between the substrates can be kept constant, and the relative positions of the substrates can be fixed, so that the displacement between the substrates can be reliably prevented. Therefore, even if an external force is applied, the liquid crystal hardly flows or the alignment is disturbed, so that the display disturb can be prevented.

It is preferable that the above-mentioned polymer portion has an optical density per 2 μm thickness in the range of 0.3 to 3. Here, the optical density (Optical Density) is a degree of opacity, and the intensity of incident light is _Io , and the intensity of transmitted light is Io.
Then, it is represented by log ( _Io / I). If the optical density of the polymer is less than 0.3, sufficient light-shielding properties may not be obtained. On the other hand, when the optical density of the polymer portion exceeds 3, when the polymer portion is formed using a photocurable resin and a light absorbing material, light irradiated to cure the resin is absorbed by the light absorbing material. In addition, the curing of the resin may not proceed sufficiently, and the strength of the polymer portion may be insufficient. In addition, particularly when a conductive material such as carbon black is used as the light absorbing material, if the amount of the optical density of the polymer part exceeds 3, the added amount increases and the carbon black or the like easily aggregates. In this case, the electrodes of the pair of substrates become conductive due to the aggregates, and the responsiveness of the liquid crystal deteriorates, which may cause a point defect in the liquid crystal optical element.

[0013] In the above, it is preferable that the polymer portion is configured to contain an ultraviolet curable resin and a coloring agent. In this way, the polymer portion can be cured by irradiating ultraviolet rays, so that the polymer portion can be easily manufactured, and the liquid crystal layer does not need to be exposed to a high temperature when the polymer portion is cured, so that deterioration of the liquid crystal due to heat is prevented. it can.

In this case, the coloring agent is carbon black,
It is preferably at least one selected from a black pigment, a deep blue pigment and a deep purple pigment. By doing so, light in the visible light region, in particular, light with high sensitivity to human eyes can be totally absorbed. In other words, since the light transmittance can be reduced over the entire visible light region, the polymer portion can reliably absorb the incident light regardless of the color of the light, so that excellent light shielding properties can be obtained. Image quality can be further improved.

In the above, it is desirable that the liquid crystal layer is made of any one of a ferroelectric liquid crystal, an antiferroelectric liquid crystal, and a chiral smectic A liquid crystal exhibiting an electric field induced tilt. Here, the ferroelectric liquid crystal includes not only a liquid crystal having ferroelectricity (spontaneous polarization) but also a mixture of a liquid crystal having ferroelectricity and a liquid crystal having no ferroelectricity. It is.

Further, it is desirable that the substrate with electrodes has flexibility. In this case, since the bending strength of the liquid crystal cell can be increased, breakage due to external force can be prevented, and handleability can be improved.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a liquid crystal optical element 1 of the present embodiment. The liquid crystal optical element 1 is configured by combining a liquid crystal cell 10 and polarizing plates 21 and 22. The liquid crystal cell 10 includes a pair of transparent substrates 11,
And a liquid crystal layer 15 sandwiched between the substrates 11 and 12. The substrates 11 and 12 are opposed to each other in parallel with each other via a spherical spacer 13. Electrodes 11A, 12A are provided on the opposing surfaces of these substrates 11, 12, respectively.
Are provided, and these electrodes 11A and 12A are covered with insulating films 11B and 12B, respectively.

In the liquid crystal layer 15, the spacer 13 described above is provided.
In addition, a non-liquid crystal polymer portion 16 is provided in an island shape. These polymer portions 16 are formed in a column shape extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the substrates 11 and 12, and a pair of substrates 11 and 1 are formed.
2 are provided so as to be connected via electrodes 11A and 12A and insulating films 11B and 12B.

The liquid crystal optical element 1 of the present embodiment is constructed by superposing polarizing plates 21 and 22 on such a liquid crystal cell 10 as necessary. In addition, only one polarizing plate may be used, or a plurality of polarizing plates may be combined. In addition, the liquid crystal cell 10 and the polarizing plates 21 and 22
The order of lamination may be appropriately set in practice, and for example, a polarizing plate may be laminated on both sides of the liquid crystal cell 10, or a polarizing plate may be arranged only on one side of the liquid crystal cell 10. Further, instead of the polarizing plates 21 and 22, a retardation plate may be combined with the liquid crystal cell 10 to form a liquid crystal optical element.

Next, each component of the liquid crystal optical element of the present embodiment will be specifically described. (1) Substrate The substrate is not particularly limited as long as it has no optical anisotropy and is transparent. However, a flexible film-like substrate is preferable. From the viewpoints of productivity, workability, and the like, Generally, a plastic substrate used for a liquid crystal display device or the like is preferable. As a material for the substrate, for example, polyether sulfone (PES), polyarylate (PAr), polycarbonate (PC), polyester, or the like can be used. Note that both of the pair of substrates need not be transparent substrates, and for example, only the substrate on the emission side may be a transparent substrate.

The electrode on the surface of the substrate may be made of a material having conductivity, but in order to transmit light, a transparent electrode made of ITO made of indium oxide, indium oxide and tin oxide is used. It is preferable to use a conductive film. Such a transparent conductive film can be formed on a substrate by a known method such as a sputtering method or an ion beam evaporation method.

The insulating film covering the electrode has a thickness of 0.01 to 1
It is preferable that the thickness is in the range of μm, and the electric resistance between the opposing electrodes, the orientation and optical characteristics of the liquid crystal layer, the dielectric constant and the hardness of the electric insulating material, etc. may be appropriately selected within the above range according to conditions such as hardness. . Such an insulating film can be formed of a generally used electric insulating material. For example, in organic materials, epoxy resin, acrylic resin, polyimide resin, fluorine-based thermosetting resin, silicon-based thermosetting resin, siloxane-based thermosetting resin, polyamide resin, polyvinyl alcohol resin, polyvinylidene fluoride resin, cyanoethylated Cellulose and the like can be mentioned. Further, an ultraviolet curable resin such as an acrylic or silicon resin may be used. As the inorganic material, for example, a metal oxide such as silicon oxide, titanium oxide, aluminum oxide, and tantalum oxide can be used.

In forming an electric insulating film using an electric insulating material made of an organic material, a method of applying an insulating film solution in which an organic material is dissolved in a solvent may be used. As the solvent, for example, for an epoxy-based thermosetting resin, methyl ethyl ketone or methyl isobutyl ketone is preferable, and for a polyamide resin, methanol or ethanol is preferable. The concentration of the solution for the insulating film varies depending on the type of the organic material and the solvent.
Preferably, it is in the range of 1 to 10% by weight. In addition, in order to ensure fluidity suitable for coating, it is necessary to use 2
It is preferable that the viscosity at 5 ° C. is in the range of 1 to 10 centipoise. In forming an electric insulating film using an inorganic material, a method in which a metal alkoxide or the like is dissolved in a solvent, applied, and then fired at an appropriate temperature may be employed.

(2) Liquid Crystal Layer When the liquid crystal material constituting the liquid crystal layer is oriented, a plurality of operation modes can be selected by changing the polarity and magnitude of the voltage. There is no particular limitation as long as it changes the polarization state by giving a phase difference to the incident light, for example, a ferroelectric liquid crystal,
An antiferroelectric liquid crystal, a chiral smectic A liquid crystal exhibiting an electric field induced tilt, or the like can be used.

The ferroelectric liquid crystal is chiral smectic C
It can be formed using a ferroelectric liquid crystal material showing a phase, may be formed of a single type of liquid crystal material, or may be formed by mixing a plurality of types of liquid crystal materials. For example,
The ferroelectric low-molecular liquid crystal material or the ferroelectric high-molecular liquid crystal material may be used alone, or may be a mixture thereof. In order to improve the response speed of the liquid crystal optical element, it is preferable to mix a low-molecular liquid crystal material having no ferroelectricity with such a ferroelectric liquid crystal. In particular, the ferroelectric liquid crystal is preferably composed of a mixture of a ferroelectric polymer liquid crystal material and a low-molecular liquid crystal material that does not exhibit ferroelectricity. In this case, the ferroelectric polymer in the entire ferroelectric liquid crystal is preferably used. The ratio of the liquid crystal material is preferably from 10 to 99 wt%, and more preferably from 10 to 70 wt%.

Examples of the above-mentioned ferroelectric polymer liquid crystal material include a polyacrylate main chain, a polymethacrylate main chain, a polychloroacrylate main chain, a polyoxirane main chain, a polyester main chain, and a polysiloxane-olefin main chain. A side chain type ferroelectric polymer liquid crystal composed of a main chain and a liquid crystal side chain can be employed. These ferroelectric polymer liquid crystals usually have a weight average molecular weight in the range of 1,000 to 1,000,000, and preferably have a weight average molecular weight of 1,000 to 1,000,000.
It is in the range of 10,000. Among such side-chain type ferroelectric polymer liquid crystals, examples of the polyacrylate main chain type ferroelectric polymer liquid crystal include those having the following repeating units.

[0027]

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The polymethacrylate main chain ferroelectric polymer liquid crystal includes those having the following repeating units.

[0029]

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Examples of the polychloroacrylate main chain type ferroelectric polymer liquid crystal include those having the following repeating units.

[0031]

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Examples of the polyoxirane main chain ferroelectric polymer liquid crystal include those having the following repeating units.

[0033]

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Examples of the polysiloxane main chain type ferroelectric polymer liquid crystal include those having the following repeating units.

[0035]

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Examples of the polyester main chain ferroelectric polymer liquid crystal include those having the following repeating units.

[0037]

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Examples of the polysiloxane-olefin main chain type ferroelectric polymer liquid crystal include those having the following repeating units.

[0039]

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Here, x and y in the above equation are x: y = 1
9: 1 to 7: 3 (molar ratio).

The repeating unit of each of the main chain ferroelectric polymer liquid crystals described above has a side chain skeleton having a biphenyl skeleton, a phenylbenzoate skeleton, a biphenylbenzoate skeleton, or a phenyl 4-phenylbenzoate skeleton. May be substituted. Further, the benzene ring in these skeletons may be substituted with a pyrimidine ring, a pyridine ring, a pyridazine ring, a pyrazine ring, a tetrazine ring, a cyclohexane ring, a dioxane ring, a dioxapolynan ring, and a halogen group such as fluorine or chlorine. It may be substituted with a cyano group, and may be a 1-methylalkyl group, a 2-fluoroalkyl group, a 2-chloroalkyl group, a 2-chloro-3-methylalkyl group, or a 2-trifluoromethylalkyl group. , A 1-alkoxycarbonylethyl group, a 2-alkoxy-1-methylethyl group, a 2-alkoxypropyl group, a 2-chloro-1-methylalkyl group, a 2-alkoxyarbonyl-1-trifluoromethylpropyl group, etc. It may be substituted with an active group. Such ferroelectric polymer liquid crystals may be used alone or as a mixture of two or more.

On the other hand, examples of the ferroelectric low-molecular liquid crystal compound include Schiff base ferroelectric low-molecular liquid crystal compounds, azo and azoxy ferroelectric low-molecular liquid crystal compounds, biphenyl and aromatics ester ferroelectric low-molecular compounds. Examples thereof include a liquid crystal compound, a ferroelectric low-molecular liquid crystal compound into which a substituent such as a halogen group or a cyano group is introduced, and a ferroelectric low-molecular liquid crystal compound having a heterocyclic ring. As the Schiff base ferroelectric low-molecular liquid crystal compound, for example, the following compounds are preferred.

[0043]

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As the azo- and azoxy-based ferroelectric low-molecular liquid crystal compounds, for example, the following compounds can be employed.

[0045]

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As the biphenyl and aromatic ester-based ferroelectric low-molecular liquid crystal compound, for example, the following compounds can be employed.

[0047]

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As the ferroelectric low-molecular liquid crystal compound into which a substituent such as a halogen or a cyano group is introduced, for example, the following compounds can be employed.

[0049]

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Further, as the ferroelectric low-molecular liquid crystal compound having a heterocyclic ring, for example, the following compounds can be employed.

[0051]

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These ferroelectric low-molecular liquid crystal compounds may be used alone or in a combination of two or more.

A ferroelectric liquid crystal composed of such a ferroelectric liquid crystal material has a liquid crystal film thickness (thickness of a liquid crystal layer) set to a thickness equal to or less than the helical pitch, and Is oriented by a known method. Thus, a liquid crystal cell having uniaxial horizontal alignment can be obtained in any of the two operation modes that change depending on the polarity of the applied voltage. As an alignment method of the liquid crystal, when an alignment film is provided on the surface of the electrode, for example, a slow cooling method, when an alignment film is not provided,
A bending shear method or the like can be adopted.

A spacer may be mixed in the liquid crystal layer in order to maintain the thickness of the liquid crystal layer. The type of the spacer is not particularly limited, but known spacers made of glass, silica, plastic, and the like can be used. As the plastic, it is preferable to use one having excellent solvent resistance such as a divinylbenzene polymer or polystyrene. . The shape of the spacer is preferably spherical or cylindrical. The particle size in the case of a sphere may be appropriately set depending on the thickness of the liquid crystal layer,
When the liquid crystal is a ferroelectric liquid crystal, the thickness is 1 to 20 μm, preferably 1.5 to 10 μm. Such a spacer may be added in the range of 0.01 to 5% by weight based on the entire liquid crystal.

(3) Polymer portion The polymer portion is required to be non-liquid crystal and have a light-shielding property. In particular, the optical density per 2 μm thickness is 0.3 to 3 μm.
Is preferably within the range. Such a polymer portion may be formed of a non-liquid crystal polymer material having high light absorption, or may be formed by adding a coloring agent to a non-liquid crystal polymer material having transparency. Is also good. Note that a coloring agent may be added to a high light-absorbing polymer material.

Polymer Material As the non-liquid crystal polymer material constituting the polymer portion, a material having low compatibility with the liquid crystal material and phase separation between the two, that is, a material having a polarity different from that of the liquid crystal molecule is used. Used. As the non-liquid crystalline polymer material, it is preferable to use a material having adhesiveness to an electric insulating film. The higher the adhesion to the insulating film, the better, but the one having an adhesion strength exceeding at least 4 g weight is preferable. Note that the adhesive strength of the polymer to the insulating film can be measured with a micro-scratch tester.

In the case where the polymer portion is composed only of a polymer material, it is preferable to use a polymer material having high light absorption, for example, polyaniline or the like. Also, when the polymer portion is formed by adding a coloring agent to the polymer material,
A polymer material having transparency can be used, and specifically, a thermoplastic resin, a thermosetting resin, or a photocurable resin can be used. In this case, in order to prevent thermal deterioration of the liquid crystal, it is preferable to use a photocurable resin that is cured by visible light, ultraviolet light, an electron beam, or the like, and it is particularly preferable to use an ultraviolet curable resin.

As the thermoplastic resin, those having a number average molecular weight of 1500 or more can be usually employed, and preferably 150 or more.
Those having about 0 to 100,000 can be used. When the number average molecular weight is less than 1500, the glass transition temperature and the melting point are low, and sufficient mechanical strength may not be obtained. In particular, the thermoplastic resin constituting the polymer part preferably has a glass transition temperature in the range of -50C to + 100C. That is, when the glass transition temperature exceeds 100 ° C., it takes a long time for the polymer portion to grow into a columnar shape.

Specific examples of the thermoplastic resin include polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl bromide, polyvinyl fluoride, vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer, vinyl chloride-ethylene copolymer, vinyl chloride-propylene copolymer, Vinyl chloride-vinylidene chloride copolymer, vinyl chloride-butadiene copolymer, vinyl chloride-acrylate copolymer, vinyl chloride-acrylonitrile copolymer, vinyl chloride-styrene-acrylonitrile terpolymer, vinyl chloride- Vinyl halide polymers or copolymers such as vinylidene chloride-vinyl acetate terpolymer, polyvinylidene chloride, polytetrafluoroethylene, and polyvinylidene fluoride; unsaturated alcohols such as polyvinyl alcohol, polyallyl alcohol, and polyvinyl ether Or ether polymers or copolymers A polymer or copolymer of an unsaturated carboxylic acid such as acrylic acid or methacrylic acid; a polymer having an unsaturated bond in an alcohol residue such as a polyvinyl ester such as polyacetic acid or a polyallyl ester such as polyphthalic acid; Copolymer; polyacrylate;
Polymer or copolymer of an acid residue such as polymethacrylic acid ester, maleic acid ester or fumaric acid ester or a compound having an unsaturated bond between an acid residue and an alcohol residue; acrylonitrile or methacrylonitrile polymer Or a polymer or copolymer of an unsaturated nitrile such as a copolymer, a polymer of polyvinylidene cyanide, malononitrile or fumaronitrile, or a copolymer; polystyrene, poly α-methylstyrene, poly p-
Polymer or copolymer of aromatic vinyl compound such as methylstyrene, styrene-α-methylstyrene copolymer, styrene-p-methylstyrene copolymer, polyvinylbenzene, polyhalogenated styrene; polyester condensate such as polycarbonate , Nylon 6, polyamide condensates such as nylon 6,6; maleic anhydride, fumaric anhydride,
And heat-resistant organic high molecular compounds such as polyamideimide, polyetherimide, polyimide, polyphenylene oxide, polyphenylene sulfide, polysulfone, polyethersulfone, and polyarylate. Among these compounds, polycarbonate, polystyrene,
Polyacrylate, polymethacrylate, nylon and the like are preferably used.

On the other hand, examples of the thermosetting or photosetting resin include epoxy adhesive, acrylic adhesive, unsaturated polyester adhesive, polyurethane adhesive, hot melt adhesive, and elastomer adhesive. Is mentioned. The epoxy-based adhesive preferably has a bisphenol A type as a main component, and an example of the bisphenol A type adhesive having the following chemical structure is suitably used.

[0061]

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In the compound represented by the above formula, R ¹ , R
² are both methyl groups, R ¹ is a methyl group and R ² is an ethyl group, R ¹ is a methyl group and R ² is an isopropyl group, R ¹ is a methyl group and R ² is an isobutyl group, R ¹ is a methyl group and R ² Is a heptyl group, R ¹ is a methyl group, R ² is a nonyl group, R ¹ ,
R ² is both a propyl group, R ¹ and R ² are both a butylidene group, R ¹ and R ² are both a pentylidene group, R ¹ and R ²
Are both 2-methylpentylidene groups, R ¹ and R ² are both 3-methylpentylidene groups, X and Y are hydrogen atoms, or R ¹ and R ² are both methyl groups,
Those in which X and Y are both methyl groups are preferably used.

As curing agents for such an epoxy adhesive, diethylene triamine, triethylene tetramine, xylylene diamine, diamino diphenyl methane,
Polyamide resin, dicyandiamide, boron trifluoride
Amine complexes, triethanolamine borate, hexahydrophthalic anhydride, phthalic anhydride, maleic anhydride, polysulfide, resole and the like can be used. These epoxy adhesives may be of a one-part type or of a two-part type.

Examples of the acrylic adhesive include those obtained by mixing a polymerization initiator with an acrylic ester and those obtained by combining a modified acrylic ester and a primer.
Examples of the unsaturated polyester-based adhesive include a polyester containing a maleic acid unit, and a polymerization initiator mixed with vinylbenzene, an acrylate, a methacrylate, vinyl acetate, and the like.

As the polyurethane adhesive, methylene bis (p-phenylene diisocyanate), tolylene diisocyanate, hexamethylene diisocyanate, 1-chlorophenyl diisocyanate, 1,5-naphthalene diisocyanate, thiodipropyl diisocyanate, ethylbenzene-α -2
-Diisocyanate, 4,4,4-triphenylmethane triisocyanate and the like. In addition, components that react with these components include ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, glycerol, hexanetriol, xylylene diol, lauric monoglyceride, stearic monoglyceride, polyethylene glycol,
Examples include polypropylene glycol, polyester, and polyamide.

Colorant The colorant to be mixed with the polymer material to secure the light-shielding property is appropriately selected from various carbon blacks, black pigments, dark blue pigments and dark purple pigments according to the type of the polymer material. I just need. As the carbon black, commercially available carbon blacks for various uses such as paints, printing inks, and resin coloring can be used. As the dye, a metal complex dye, a dichroic dye, or the like can be used.

It is preferable that such a coloring agent is added so that the optical density per 2 μm of the polymer part is in the range of 0.3 to 3. According to this, the polymer necessary for reinforcing the liquid crystal cell is added. The strength of the portion can be ensured, and a short circuit between a pair of electrodes connected by the polymer portion can be prevented.

(4) Production of Liquid Crystal Cell The liquid crystal cell can be produced by a known method.
It can be manufactured by the following steps. Insulating film forming step An insulating film solution in which an electric insulating material is dissolved in a solvent is applied onto each electrode of the two substrates with electrodes, and the solvent is evaporated to dry and cure the electric insulating material. To form

Step of Forming Liquid Crystal Layer and Polymer Part The method of forming the liquid crystal layer and the polymer part is not particularly limited. However, in order to efficiently manufacture a liquid crystal optical element using a flexible substrate, It is preferable to adopt the following method. For example, when the polymer portion is formed of a polymer material and a coloring agent, a liquid crystal, a polymer material, and a coloring agent are dissolved in a solvent to prepare a coating solution, and the coating solution is applied to the insulating film of one substrate. After the application, the solvent is evaporated, and heat treatment is performed if necessary.

The above-mentioned spacer may be blended in the coating solution. When a guest-host type liquid crystal display element is manufactured as a liquid crystal optical element, a dichroic dye may be added to the material of the liquid crystal layer. As the dichroic dye, dyes of anthraquinone type, azo type, azomethine type, merocyanine type, styryl type, tetrazine type and the like are suitably used.

Here, as described above, if materials having different polarities are used for the liquid crystal and the polymer material, the liquid crystal and the polymer material are separated from each other and mixed, and the separated polymer material is mixed. Gather and a part of them adheres to the insulating film. At this time, in order to provide the polymer portion with light-shielding properties, it is necessary to assemble the colorant together with the non-liquid crystalline polymer material.

That is, when carbon black is used as the coloring agent, it is preferable to prepare a black composition composed of carbon black and a polymer in advance, and to dissolve this composition in a solvent together with the liquid crystal. In preparing the composition, it is preferable to employ a method of graft-polymerizing a transparent polymer onto the surface of the colorant (see "Graphization of carbon black" published by Rubber Digest Co., Ltd., 1983). At this time, if a cross-linkable polymer is adopted as the transparent polymer material and a carbon black of a high activity grade as the carbon black, that is, a material having a large amount of radicals on its surface is selected, the transparent polymer material and the carbon black By controlling the temperature conditions of the mixture with the above, a polymer material can be chemically bonded to the surface of the carbon black.

When a black pigment, a deep blue pigment, or a deep purple pigment is used as a coloring agent, a pigment having a structure having a polarity close to that of a transparent polymer material may be selected.
According to this, due to the difference between the polarity of the liquid crystal molecules and the polarity of the dye, the dye is selectively dissolved only in the transparent polymer material, and the dye is not mixed into the liquid crystal. The difference in polarity can be determined by a technique such as thin layer chromatography (TLC).

On the other hand, as the solvent for dissolving the liquid crystal and the non-liquid crystalline polymer material, it is necessary to use a solvent capable of dissolving both the liquid crystal and the non-liquid crystalline polymer material without dissolving the electric insulating material. There is. As such a solvent, acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, toluene, xylene, dichloromethane, chloroform, tetrahydrofuran, ethyl acetate, or a mixture thereof is preferable.

The concentration of the coating solution in which liquid crystal or the like is dissolved in such a solvent is 5 to 90% by weight, preferably 10 to 60% by weight.
% By weight, and as a film forming method, a spin coating method, a roll coating method, a kiss coating method, a die coating method, a bar coating method, a dip method, a spray method, a brush coating method, an electrodeposition method, or the like can be adopted. In particular, when performing continuous coating on a plurality of substrates, a roll coating method, a kiss coating method, and a bar coating method are preferable.

Substrate Laminating Step After forming the liquid crystal layer and the polymer portion, the other substrate is overlaid on the liquid crystal layer so that the insulating film thereof is in contact with the liquid crystal layer to form a laminate. This lamination is preferably performed by a lamination method using a pressure roller or the like.

Heat Treatment Step Next, the laminate is subjected to a heat treatment, whereby the shape of the non-liquid crystalline polymer material in the liquid crystal layer is adjusted to grow into a columnar shape, and the polymer aggregate is placed in the liquid crystal layer. Evenly distributed. The processing temperature in this heat treatment is preferably set to a temperature equal to or higher than the isotropic phase transition point of the liquid crystal, and is preferably set in the range of 50 to 150 ° C. according to the constituent components of the liquid crystal.

The heat treatment is divided into three steps: a temperature raising step of raising the temperature to the processing temperature, a temperature holding step of maintaining the processing temperature, and a temperature lowering step of lowering the temperature from the processing temperature. In this case, when the non-liquid crystalline polymer material is a thermoplastic resin, the heating rate during the heating step is 0.1 to 10 ° C / min, preferably 0.1 to 5 ° C / min. In the case of a photocurable resin, the temperature may be 0.1 to 20 ° C / min. Further, the holding time of the temperature holding step may be appropriately set within a range of 1 to 60 minutes. Then, in the temperature lowering step, room temperature to 4
What is necessary is just to cool to 0 degreeC, and the rate of temperature fall is -0.1 to -1.
The temperature may be set to 0 ° C./min.

As a result of such a heat treatment, the polymer material which had been phase-separated and dispersed in an unstable form in the liquid crystal layer was brought into close contact with the surface of the electric insulating film, and the unstable polymer dispersion was deposited thereon. The body grows in a columnar shape by repeating the bonding, and is formed in a columnar shape connecting the opposing electric insulating films. The diameter of the column varies depending on the type of the non-liquid crystalline polymer material and the heat treatment conditions, but is 0.1 to 50 μm.

Alignment Step After the heat treatment, the liquid crystal is aligned. As the method of the orientation treatment, a known method can be appropriately adopted. When the substrate has flexibility, a bending orientation method for giving a bending deformation to the laminate is preferably used. In the bending orientation method, a better orientation can be obtained by performing a bending deformation while applying a voltage between the electrodes.

Polymer Portion Curing Step After aligning the liquid crystal, the non-liquid crystalline polymer material assembled in a columnar shape is cured. That is, when the non-liquid crystalline polymer material is a thermoplastic resin, it is preferable to perform a heat treatment at a temperature higher than the glass transition point and lower than the isotropic phase transition point of the liquid crystal material. In this case, heat treatment is performed at the thermosetting temperature. When the polymer material is a photocurable resin, the polymer material is cured by irradiating light such as visible light or ultraviolet light.

Here, as described above, if the spacer is mixed in the coating liquid, the thickness of the liquid crystal layer can be held by the spacer. Therefore, until the curing of the polymer material is completed, the external force is applied. The thickness of the liquid crystal layer does not change.

(5) Polarizing Plate, Retardation Plate As the polarizing plate, for example, a flexible film-like plate can be employed. Specifically, polyvinyl iodine or dichroic dye is impregnated and oriented. A dichroic dye was dispersed in a polarizing film in which an alcohol (PVA) film was sandwiched between optically transparent films such as a triacetyl cellulose (TAC) film and a polyester film, and a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film, and then uniaxially stretched. A polarizing film or the like can be used. The type of the polarizing plate may be appropriately selected from commercially available types according to the type of the liquid crystal optical element.For example, a neutral polarizing plate that substantially absorbs all visible light regions or absorbs only light in a predetermined wavelength range. Various polarizing plates such as a color polarizing plate can be adopted.

Incidentally, on the surface of the polarizing plate, a conductive transparent thin film made of ITO, tin oxide, or the like may be formed by a sputtering method, an ion beam evaporation method, or the like. In this case, the polarizing plate can be used also as the above-mentioned substrate with electrodes. On the surface of the polarizing plate on the liquid crystal cell side, an adhesive made of an acrylic polymer or the like is used to adhere to the liquid crystal cell.
It may be applied in a thickness of 0 μm to 100 μm. The surface of the polarizing plate disposed closest to the observer may be subjected to an anti-glare treatment or an anti-reflection treatment for preventing reflection of external light such as an indoor fluorescent lamp. On the other hand, as the retardation plate, various retardation plates and retardation films can be adopted according to the type of the liquid crystal optical element.

[0085]

Next, the effects of the present invention will be described based on specific examples. [Examples 1 to 3] In Examples 1 to 3, liquid crystal cells were manufactured based on the above embodiment using the following specific materials and procedures.

<1> Material Substrate A PES film substrate with an ITO film (FST manufactured by Sumitomo Bakelite Co., Ltd.) was employed. Electric insulating film CR-S cyanoethylated pullulan manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd. was used.

Liquid Crystals The following ferroelectric polymer liquid crystal A (manufactured by Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd.), low-molecular liquid crystal B (manufactured by Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd.), low-molecular liquid crystal C (manufactured by Midori Kagaku), and low-molecular A ferroelectric liquid crystal composition in which liquid crystal D (manufactured by Midori Kagaku) was mixed at a weight ratio of 5: 3: 1: 1 was employed.

[0088]

Embedded image

Non-Liquid Crystalline Polymer Material A UV curable resin SP1509 manufactured by Showa Polymer Co., Ltd. was used. Colorant Carbon black (MCF # 980, manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, particle size 16 nm) was employed.

(2) Preparation of Black Resin Composition A UV curable resin as a polymer material and methyl isobutyl ketone were mixed at a ratio of 1: 1. Carbon black as a colorant was added to the mixture, and a kneading machine was prepared. To perform a dispersion process. Thereafter, vacuum drying was performed at a temperature of 40 ° C. to evaporate methyl isobutyl ketone to obtain a black resin composition (carbon black-dispersed ultraviolet-curable resin). Here, the case where the amount of carbon black added to the UV-curable resin was 5 wt% in Example 1 and the case where the amount of carbon black was 30 wt% in Example 2,
Example 3 was 1 wt%.

(3) Preparation of Coating Solution A black resin composition and a curing agent Irgacure 369 (manufactured by Ciba Specialty Chemicals) were mixed at a ratio of 100: 2, and this was mixed with a ferroelectric liquid crystal composition at a ratio of 15: 100 were mixed. This mixture was dissolved in methyl ethyl ketone to obtain a coating solution having a solid content of 30 wt%.
Further, the above-described cyanoethylated pullulan was dissolved in acetone to obtain a coating solution for an insulating film having a solid content of 3 wt%.

(4) Preparation of Liquid Crystal Cell A coating solution for an insulating film was applied on the ITO film of each film substrate using a roll coater to form an insulating film. Next, a coating solution for a liquid crystal layer was applied to one film substrate using a roll coater to form a liquid crystal layer, and the other film substrate was overlaid on the liquid crystal layer and bonded to form a laminate. The laminate was subjected to bending deformation in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the film while applying a rectangular wave voltage of ± 40 V, thereby performing an orientation treatment. (5) Curing of the black resin composition Using a metal halide lamp, the irradiation intensity was 3000 mJ /
The liquid crystal cell was irradiated with ultraviolet rays of cm ² to cure the black resin composition, thereby obtaining a liquid crystal cell.

[Examples 4 to 6] In Examples 1 to 3, except that a black dye was used as a coloring agent instead of carbon black and the amount of addition was changed.
A liquid crystal cell was obtained in the same manner as in No. 3. That is, a chromium complex-based black dye (Solvent Black 28, manufactured by Ciba Specialty Chemicals) was used as a coloring agent. The amount of the black dye added to the ultraviolet curable resin was 15 wt% in Example 4, 40 wt% in Example 5, and 5 wt% in Example 6.
wt%.

[Examples 7 and 8] The same procedures as in Examples 1 to 3 were carried out except that a deep blue dye was used as a coloring agent instead of carbon black and the amount of addition was changed.
A liquid crystal cell was obtained in the same manner as in Nos. 1 to 3. That is, an anthraquinone blue dye (Solvent Blue 68 manufactured by Ciba Specialty Chemicals) was used as a coloring agent. The amount of the deep blue dye added to the ultraviolet curable resin was 10 wt% in Example 7, and 4 wt% in Example 8.

Comparative Example 1 In Examples 1 to 3,
Example 1 except that the coloring agent was omitted and the ferroelectric liquid crystal composition was dissolved in methyl ethyl ketone to obtain a coating solution.
A liquid crystal cell was obtained in the same manner as in Nos. 1 to 3.

[Evaluation of Liquid Crystal Cell] For each of the liquid crystal cells obtained in Examples 1 to 8 and Comparative Example 1, the state of phase separation between the liquid crystal and the polymer part, the thickness of the liquid crystal layer, and the optical density of the polymer part ,
Light scattering, bending strength and display defects were evaluated. (1) State of phase separation between liquid crystal and polymer portion The size of the polymer portion (black resin portion) was measured from a polarizing microscope image. (2) Film thickness of liquid crystal layer The thickness was calculated from the light interference spectrum between the transparent electrodes by the peak-valley method. (3) Optical Density of Polymer Portion The transmission density was calculated by measuring the transmission spectrum with a microscope and a spectral transmittance meter. (4) Light Scattering Polarizer and analyzer arranged in paranicol (neutral polarizing plate LLC2-9218 manufactured by Sanritz)
Was irradiated with a parallel beam having a diameter of 5 mm from the polarizer side, and the amount of transmitted light at this time was set to 100%. Then, a liquid crystal cell is arranged in parallel between the polarizer and the analyzer, and a pinhole having a diameter of 7 mm and a diameter of 30 mm are provided on the analyzer side.
And the amount of transmitted light (%) passing through each pinhole was measured, and the difference between the amounts of transmitted light (%) was defined as the amount of scattered light.

(5) Bending Strength Using the jig 3 as shown in FIG. 2, the minimum length X at which the alignment of the liquid crystal was not destroyed was defined as the bending strength. That is, the liquid crystal cell 10 is mounted on the mounting surface 31 and one end of the liquid crystal cell 10 is mounted on the upper surface 32A of the rising portion 32 provided on the mounting surface 31. In this state, the liquid crystal cell 10 was pressed from above by the pressing piece 33, and the distance between the pressing position and the rising portion 32 was set as X, and a position where the alignment of the liquid crystal was not destroyed by the pressing was determined.

(6) Display Defects A liquid crystal cell is sandwiched between two neutral polarizers in a crossed Nicols arrangement, and the liquid crystal cell is disposed on a 1500 cd / cm ² backlight to determine whether or not there is a point-like display defect. Were checked, and those having no display defects were rated as ○, and those having display defects were rated as x. After marking the display defect,
An electron microscope and microscopic IR analysis revealed that the causative substance was carbon black aggregated particles. Table 1 shows the results of these evaluations. Each of the liquid crystal cells of Examples 1 to 8 and Comparative Example 1 had a sample N shown in Table 1.
o. Is attached.

[0099]

[Table 1]

From Table 1, it can be seen that in Examples 1 to 8, the light-shielding property was imparted to the polymer portion by using a coloring agent, and thus the light scattering was less than in Comparative Example 1 in which the polymer portion did not have light-shielding properties. You can see that. In particular, in the liquid crystal cells of Example 1 and Example 4, since the optical density is in the range of 0.3 to 3, it can be seen that both the prevention of light scattering and the improvement in bending strength can be realized in a well-balanced manner.

[Examples 9 to 14] Each of the liquid crystal cells (A-1 to A-3, B-1 to B-3, C-1, 2) obtained in Examples 1 to 8 was used. The stereoscopic display systems of Examples 9 to 14 were produced. That is, a liquid crystal shutter, which is a liquid crystal optical element in which a neutral polarizing plate (LLC-9218 manufactured by Sanlitz Co., Ltd.) and a liquid crystal cell are stacked on the front of an existing color monitor, is arranged.
On the observation side of the liquid crystal shutter, a laminated film of a retardation film and a neutral polarizing plate and a neutral polarizing plate alone were arranged side by side, and their respective contrast ratios were compared. Table 2 shows the results.

Comparative Example 2 The liquid crystal cell (D) obtained in Comparative Example 1 was used as the liquid crystal cell in Examples 9 to 14.
A stereoscopic display system was prepared in the same manner as in Examples 9 to 14, except that was used, and the contrast ratio was evaluated. Table 2 shows the evaluation results.

[0103]

[Table 2]

As can be seen from Table 2, in Example 10 (A-2), since the blending amount of carbon black was relatively large, short-circuiting occurred between a pair of transparent electrodes due to the agglomeration of carbon black, which was insufficient. No contrast was obtained. In Example 13 (B-2), although the contrast ratio was small,
Due to the relatively large amount of the black dye, the liquid crystal alignment was partially disturbed during lamination with the neutral polarizing plate.

[Examples 17 to 22] Using the liquid crystal cells (A-1 to A-3, B-1 to B-3) obtained in the above Examples 1 to 6, FIG.
The liquid crystal shutter 5 for an ultra-high definition color monitor as shown in FIG. That is, the blue color polarizer 51, the red color polarizer 52, the liquid crystal cell 10, the purple color polarizer 53, the yellow color polarizer 54, and the liquid crystal cell 1
0 and the neutral polarizing plate 55 were laminated, and
7 to 22 liquid crystal shutters 5 for super high-definition color monitor were produced. Table 3 shows a specific configuration of the liquid crystal shutter 5.

[0106]

[Table 3]

Comparative Example 3 An ultrahigh-definition color monitor was prepared in the same manner as in Examples 17 to 22, except that the liquid crystal cell (D) of Comparative Example 1 was used as the liquid crystal cell in Examples 17 to 22. A liquid crystal shutter was obtained.

[Evaluation of Liquid Crystal Shutter] Examples 17 to 22
The color reproduction range of each liquid crystal shutter of Comparative Example 3 was evaluated. That is, before assembling the liquid crystal shutter 5, the spectral transmission spectra of the polarizing plates 51 to 55 and the liquid crystal cell 10 were measured. The measurement of the spectral transmission spectrum
A parallel beam having a diameter of 5 mm was taken out from a halogen lamp. In particular, when measuring the liquid crystal cell 10,
In order not to take in the scattered light in the liquid crystal cell, a pinhole having a diameter of 5 mm, which is the same as the beam diameter of the measurement light, is provided on the exit side of the liquid crystal cell, and the light passing through the pinhole is measured, whereby the scattered light is measured. Was removed. From the spectral transmission spectra of the liquid crystal cell 10 and the polarizing plates 51 to 55 measured in this way, the transmission spectrum of the entire liquid crystal shutter is calculated by the product of the Jones matrix, and based on this, the XYZ chromaticity coordinates (hereinafter referred to as chromaticity) are calculated. (Referred to as coordinates A).

After assembling the liquid crystal shutter 5, the liquid crystal shutter is arranged in front of a white light source having an emission spectrum as shown in FIG. 4, and the voltage applied to the two liquid crystal cells 10 is switched. Red, blue, and green were displayed, and XYZ chromaticity coordinates (hereinafter, referred to as chromaticity coordinates B) were measured for each display using a colorimeter.

From the chromaticity coordinates A and B obtained in this manner, the area of a triangle connecting the red, green, and blue coordinates was calculated, and this area was defined as the color reproduction range. That is,
When incident light is scattered by the polymer portion of the liquid crystal layer, the actually measured chromaticity coordinate B has a narrower color reproduction range than the theoretically predicted chromaticity coordinate A. Table 4 shows the areas of the chromaticity coordinates A and the chromaticity coordinates B.

[0111]

[Table 4]

From Table 4, it can be seen that in Examples 17 to 22, since the liquid crystal cells have light-shielding properties, a color reproduction range substantially equal to the theoretical value (chromaticity coordinate A) can be secured. On the other hand, in the liquid crystal shutter of Comparative Example 3 having no light-shielding property, when the area of the chromaticity coordinate A which is the theoretical value and the area of the chromaticity coordinate B which is the actually measured value are compared, the color reproduction range is significantly narrowed. You can see that.

[0113]

As described above, according to the present invention,
In a liquid crystal optical element having a liquid crystal cell in which a liquid crystal layer is sandwiched between a pair of substrates with electrodes, a non-liquid crystal polymer portion connecting the pair of substrates is provided in an island shape in the liquid crystal layer. By providing a light-blocking property, light incident on the polymer section can be absorbed, so that light scattering at the interface between the polymer section and the liquid crystal can be suppressed, and the amount of light transmitted through the polymer section regardless of the angle of the incident light. Since it can be reduced, the image quality can be improved. In addition, since the pair of substrates are connected by the polymer portion, the distance between the substrates can be maintained constant, and the relative positions of the substrates can be fixed, so that the displacement between the substrates can be reliably prevented. Therefore, even when an external force is applied, the liquid crystal is unlikely to flow or the alignment is disturbed, and thus display disturbance can be prevented.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing measurement of bending strength in an example of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view showing a liquid crystal shutter for an ultra-high-definition color monitor according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an emission spectrum of a white light source according to an example of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 liquid crystal optical element 3 jig 5 liquid crystal shutter for ultra-high definition color monitor 10 liquid crystal cell 11, 12 substrate 11A, 12A electrode 11B, 12B insulating film 13 spacer 15 liquid crystal layer 16 polymer part 21, 22, polarizing plate 31 mounting surface 32 Rise 32A Upper surface 33 Pressing piece 51-54 Color polarizer 55 Neutral polarizer

Continued on the front page F-term (reference) 2H088 FA02 FA09 GA04 GA06 GA10 GA12 HA02 JA17 JA20 KA02 MA02 MA07 MA16 MA18 2H089 HA02 HA04 JA01 JA04 JA05 JA11 KA02 KA08 NA05 NA22 NA31 NA58 QA04 QA15 QA16 RA13 RA14 RA18 SA09 TA03 A04 A04 A09 BA49 CA24 EB01 ED15 FA03 FA04 JA08 JA20

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A liquid crystal optical element having a liquid crystal cell in which a liquid crystal layer is sandwiched between a pair of substrates with electrodes, wherein a non-liquid crystal polymer section connecting the pair of substrates is provided in the liquid crystal layer. Are provided in an island shape, and the polymer portion has a light shielding property. 2. The liquid crystal optical element according to claim 1, wherein the polymer portion has an optical density of 0.3 μm per 2 μm.
3. A liquid crystal optical element, wherein 3. The liquid crystal optical element according to claim 1, wherein the polymer section includes an ultraviolet curable resin and a coloring agent. 4. The liquid crystal optical element according to claim 3, wherein the colorant is at least one selected from the group consisting of carbon black, black pigment, dark blue pigment, and dark purple pigment. . 5. The liquid crystal optical element according to claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal layer includes a ferroelectric liquid crystal, an antiferroelectric liquid crystal, and a chiral smectic A exhibiting an electric field induced tilt. A liquid crystal optical element comprising any one of liquid crystals. 6. The liquid crystal optical element according to claim 1, wherein the substrate with electrodes has flexibility.