JP2001042308A - Liquid crystal device and electronic instrument - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a translucent reflection type liquid crystal device changeable between reflection type display and transmission type display, reduced in coloring at the transmission type display and high in visibility. SOLUTION: This liquid crystal device is provided with a liquid crystal layer 105 interposed between a first substrate 103 and a second substrate 106, a first polarizing plate 101 disposed on the side different from the liquid crystal layer of the substrate 103, a second polarizing plate 107, a scattering layer 108 and a translucent reflection layer 109 which are disposed in this order on the side different from the liquid crystal layer of the substrate 106 and an illuminator 111. The translucent reflection layer 109 comprises a metallic thin film, an optical structure satisfying T450<T550<T650 (wherein the intensity of the transmitted light is T450 when the wavelength of the light is 450 nm, T550 when 550 nm and T650 when 650 nm) and an optical structure satisfying b*>0 (wherein the hue of the transmitted light is b* according to CIE1976 regulation L*a*b* display system).

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a liquid crystal device, and more particularly to a structure of a liquid crystal device capable of switching and displaying a reflection type display and a transmission type display, and an electronic apparatus using the liquid crystal device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, reflection type liquid crystal devices have been frequently used in portable devices and display portions of the devices because of their low power consumption. Then, there was a problem that the display could not be read. For this reason, there has been proposed a liquid crystal device of a type in which external light is used in a bright place similarly to a normal reflection type liquid crystal device, but in a dark place, the display can be visually recognized by an internal light source. This has a configuration in which a polarizing plate, a transflective plate, and a backlight are sequentially arranged on the outer surface of the liquid crystal cell opposite to the observation side, as described in Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 57-049271. . In this liquid crystal device, when the surroundings are bright, external light is taken in and reflective display is performed using light reflected by the semi-transmissive reflecting plate. When the surroundings are dark, the backlight is turned on and the semi-transmissive reflecting plate is turned on. A transmissive display in which the display can be visually recognized by the light transmitted through is provided. As the transflective plate, a film in which a pearl pigment is dispersed as described in JP-A-9-76393 is generally used. By the way, in a semi-transmissive reflection plate manufactured by dispersing a pearl pigment, the roughness due to the particles of the pearl pigment is conspicuous at the time of reflective display, and a high-quality reflective display cannot be obtained. Moreover, it is difficult to obtain a reflective display having a high reflectance.

Therefore, instead of a transflective plate using a pearl pigment, a transflective plate having a scattering layer disposed on a metal thin film has been proposed. This transflective plate has no roughness due to the use of the scattering layer, and can achieve high reflectance characteristics because it uses a metal thin film. The metal used for the metal thin film is Al, Ag, Pt, Cr, T
An alloy mainly containing i, Au, or the like is generally used.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION By the way, Al or Ag
Since an alloy mainly composed of such a material is used as the semi-transmissive reflection plate, the transmitted light has a blue tint. This is because, of the light transmitted through the metal semi-transmissive reflection film, the short wavelength side of visible light is easily transmitted and the long wavelength side is hardly transmitted. As described above, since the light transmitted through the semi-transmissive reflective film made of a metal thin film has a bluish tint, it has been difficult to obtain a transmissive display without unnecessary coloring.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a transflective liquid crystal device in which the coloring of transmissive display is reduced. Another object is to provide an electronic device using the liquid crystal device.

[0006]

Means taken by the present invention to solve the above problems are as follows.

A liquid crystal device according to claim 1, wherein a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between a first substrate and a second substrate; a first polarizing plate disposed on a side of the first substrate different from the liquid crystal layer; The second
In a liquid crystal device comprising a second polarizing plate, a scattering layer, a transflective layer, and a lighting device sequentially arranged on a different side of the substrate from the liquid crystal layer, the transflective layer is made of a metal thin film, Assuming that the intensities of transmitted light at wavelengths of 450 nm, 550 nm, and 650 nm are T ₄₅₀ , T ₅₅₀ , and T ₆₅₀ , an optical structure that satisfies T ₄₅₀ <T ₅₅₀ <T ₆₅₀ is provided.

According to this means, the coloring of the light transmitted through the transflective layer can be reduced by the optical structure. The light transmitted through the transflective layer is bluish,
Since T ₄₅₀ > T ₅₅₀ > T ₆₅₀ is generally satisfied, this is corrected by selecting the spectral characteristics of the optical structure as in the present invention.

Note that a thin film is a metal film having a thickness of 50 nm or less. Usually, a metal mainly composed of Al is used for the semi-transmissive reflection layer, but any metal that can reflect external light in the visible light region, such as Pt, Cr, or Ag, may be used.
The material is not particularly limited. The metal thin film
It can be formed on a plastic film by vapor deposition or sputtering.

[0010] The optical structure is used only for the transmissive display.
Since it is desirable to play that role, it is arranged as much as possible between the transflective layer and the lighting device.

A liquid crystal device according to a second aspect of the present invention includes a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between a first substrate and a second substrate; a first polarizing plate disposed on a side of the first substrate different from the liquid crystal layer; The second
A scattering layer sequentially arranged on a different side of the substrate from the liquid crystal layer,
In a liquid crystal device provided with a second polarizing plate, a semi-transmissive reflection layer, and a lighting device, the semi-transmissive reflection layer is made of a metal thin film, and the intensity of transmitted light when the wavelength of light is 450 nm, 550 nm, or 650 nm is T _450, if the _{T 550, T 650,} is characterized by providing an optical structure that satisfies _{T 450 <T 550 <T 650} .

According to this means, the coloring of the light transmitted through the transflective layer can be reduced by the optical structure. The light transmitted through the transflective layer is bluish,
Since T ₄₅₀ > T ₅₅₀ > T ₆₅₀ is generally satisfied, this is corrected by selecting the spectral characteristics of the optical structure as in the present invention.

Note that a thin film is a metal film having a thickness of 50 nm or less. Usually, a metal mainly composed of Al is used for the semi-transmissive reflection layer, but any metal that can reflect external light in the visible light region, such as Pt, Cr, or Ag, may be used.
The material is not particularly limited. The metal thin film
It can be formed on a plastic film by vapor deposition or sputtering.

The optical structure is used only for the transmission type display.
Since it is desirable to play that role, it is arranged as much as possible between the transflective layer and the lighting device.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a liquid crystal device comprising: a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between a first substrate and a second substrate; a first polarizing plate disposed on a side of the first substrate different from the liquid crystal layer; The second
In a liquid crystal device comprising a second polarizing plate, a scattering layer, a transflective layer, and an illuminating device sequentially disposed on a different side of the substrate from the liquid crystal layer, the transflective layer is made of a metal thin film, and further includes a transmitted light. Hue b ^* (CIE1976 standard L ^* a ^*
b ^* display system) is provided with an optical structure satisfying b ^* > 0.

According to this means, the coloring of the light transmitted through the transflective layer can be reduced by the optical structure. The light transmitted through the transflective layer is bluish,
Since b ^* <0 is generally satisfied, this can be reduced by selecting the hue of the optical structure as in the present invention.

The thin film is a metal film having a thickness of 50 nm or less. Usually, a metal mainly composed of Al is used for the semi-transmissive reflection layer, but any metal that can reflect external light in the visible light region, such as Pt, Cr, or Ag, may be used.
The material is not particularly limited. The metal thin film
It can be formed on a plastic film by vapor deposition or sputtering.

The optical structure is used only for the transmission type display.
Since it is desirable to play that role, it is arranged as much as possible between the transflective layer and the lighting device.

Hue b ^* (CIE1976 standard L ^* a ^*
b ^* display system) is an index defined by JIS-Z-8729 (JIS Handbook 33 “Color-1996” edited by the Japan Standards Association).

A liquid crystal device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention includes a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between a first substrate and a second substrate; a first polarizing plate disposed on a side of the first substrate different from the liquid crystal layer; The second
A scattering layer sequentially arranged on a different side of the substrate from the liquid crystal layer,
In a liquid crystal device provided with a second polarizing plate, a transflective layer, and a lighting device, the transflective layer is formed of a metal thin film, and further has a hue b ^{* of} transmitted light (CIE1976 standard L ^* a ^*).
b ^* display system) is provided with an optical structure satisfying b ^* > 0.

According to this means, the coloring of the light transmitted through the transflective layer can be reduced by the optical structure. The light transmitted through the transflective layer is bluish,
Since b ^* <0 is generally satisfied, this can be reduced by selecting the hue of the optical structure as in the present invention.

Note that a thin film is a metal film having a thickness of 50 nm or less. Usually, a metal mainly composed of Al is used for the semi-transmissive reflection layer, but any metal that can reflect external light in the visible light region, such as Pt, Cr, or Ag, may be used.
The material is not particularly limited. The metal thin film
It can be formed on a plastic film by vapor deposition or sputtering.

The optical structure is used only for the transmission type display.
Since it is desirable to play that role, it is arranged as much as possible between the transflective layer and the lighting device.

Hue b ^* (CIE1976 standard L ^* a ^*
b ^* display system) is an index defined by JIS-Z-8729 (JIS Handbook 33 “Color-1996” edited by the Japan Standards Association).

A liquid crystal device according to a fifth aspect is characterized in that the optical structure is at least one of the first polarizing plate and the second polarizing plate.

According to this means, the color of the light transmitted through the semi-transmissive reflective layer is arranged on both sides of the liquid crystal cell.
It can be reduced by using two polarizing plates. Since the light transmitted through the transflective layer has a bluish tint, this is corrected by selecting the hue of the polarizing plate as in the present invention.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the liquid crystal device, the optical structure is at least one of the first substrate and the second substrate.

According to this means, the color of the light transmitted through the transflective layer can be reduced by one or two substrates constituting the liquid crystal cell. Light transmitted through the transflective layer has a bluish tint, and this is corrected by selecting the hue of the substrate as in the present invention.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the liquid crystal device, the optical structure is at least one of a transparent electrode formed on a surface of the first substrate and the second substrate on the liquid crystal layer side. .

According to this means, the coloring of the light transmitted through the transflective layer can be reduced by the transparent electrode. Since the light transmitted through the transflective layer has a bluish tint, this is corrected by selecting the hue of the transparent electrode as in the present invention.

The liquid crystal device according to the present invention is characterized in that the optical structure is at least one of an alignment film formed on a surface of the first substrate and the second substrate on the liquid crystal layer side. .

According to this means, the coloring of light passing through the transflective layer can be reduced by the alignment film. Since light transmitted through the transflective layer has a bluish tint, this is corrected by selecting the hue of the alignment film as in the present invention.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the liquid crystal device, the optical structure is an insulating film formed between the first substrate and the second substrate.

According to this means, the coloring of light transmitted through the transflective layer can be reduced by the insulating film. Since the light transmitted through the transflective layer has a bluish tint, this is corrected by selecting the hue of the insulating film as in the present invention.

A liquid crystal device according to a tenth aspect is characterized in that the optical structure is sandwiched between the first substrate and the second substrate and is made of a liquid crystal material.

According to this means, the coloring of the light transmitted through the transflective layer can be reduced by the liquid crystal material. Since the light transmitted through the transflective layer has a bluish tint, this is corrected by selecting the hue of the liquid crystal material itself as in the present invention.

The liquid crystal device according to the eleventh aspect is characterized in that the optical structure is a retardation plate disposed on a side of the first substrate different from the liquid crystal layer.

According to this means, the coloring of the light transmitted through the transflective layer can be reduced by the phase difference plate. Since the light transmitted through the transflective layer has a bluish tint, it is corrected by selecting the hue of the retardation plate itself or the hue due to the birefringence of the retardation plate as in the present invention. In addition, by disposing at least one first retardation plate between the first polarizing plate and the first substrate, good display control can be performed in both the reflective display and the transmissive display, and the wavelength of light can be improved. The influence on the color tone such as coloring of the liquid crystal due to the dispersion can be reduced.

A liquid crystal device according to a twelfth aspect is characterized in that the optical structure is the scattering layer.

According to this means, the color of light transmitted through the transflective layer can be reduced by the scattering layer. Since the light transmitted through the transflective layer has a bluish tint, it is corrected by selecting the hue of the scattering layer itself or the hue based on the scattering characteristics of the scattering layer as in the present invention.

By disposing the scattering layer between the second substrate and the transflective layer, the mirror surface of the transflective layer can be made to look like a scattering surface (white surface) by the scattering layer. In addition, a wide viewing angle can be displayed by scattering by the scattering layer.

A liquid crystal device according to a thirteenth aspect is characterized in that the optical structure is a base material of a transflective layer.

According to this means, the coloring of light transmitted through the transflective layer can be reduced by the substrate itself on which the transflective layer is formed. Since the light transmitted through the transflective layer has a bluish tint, this is corrected by selecting the hue of the substrate as in the present invention. Further, since the substrate is located below the transflective layer when viewed from the viewer of the liquid crystal device, there is an advantage that the hue of the substrate does not affect the reflective display.

A liquid crystal device according to a fourteenth aspect is characterized in that the optical structure is the liquid crystal layer sandwiched between a first polarizing plate and a second polarizing plate having a predetermined birefringence.

According to this means, the coloring of light transmitted through the transflective layer can be reduced by the birefringence of the liquid crystal layer. Since the light transmitted through the transflective layer has a bluish tint, this is corrected by selecting the hue due to the birefringence of the liquid crystal layer as in the present invention.

According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, in the liquid crystal device, the optical structure is the lighting device having predetermined light emission characteristics.

According to this means, the coloring of the light transmitted through the transflective layer can be reduced by the illumination device. Since the light transmitted through the transflective layer has a bluish tint, it is corrected by selecting the hue according to the light emission characteristics of the lighting device as in the present invention. Further, the light emission characteristics of light emitted from the lighting device using a film or the like can be selected as in the present invention.

According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic apparatus comprising the liquid crystal device according to any one of the first to fifteenth aspects, wherein the electronic apparatus is a portable apparatus mainly used for battery driving.

According to this means, it is possible to realize a portable electronic device using a transflective liquid crystal device capable of switching and displaying a reflective display and a transmissive display. Such an electronic device can realize a display with high image quality and no unnecessary coloring regardless of the surrounding external light even in a bright place or a dark place, and is excellent in visibility. Since it is not necessary to turn on the lighting device in a bright place, the battery can be driven for a long time. Since there is no unnecessary coloring of the transmissive display in a dark place, there is an advantage that the visibility is very high.

[0050]

Next, an embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a schematic vertical sectional view showing the structure of a liquid crystal device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
Although this embodiment is basically related to a simple matrix type liquid crystal display device, it can be applied to an active matrix type device, another segment type device, and other liquid crystal devices with the same configuration. .

In this embodiment, two transparent substrates 10
The liquid crystal layer 105 is formed between the frames 3 and 106 by a frame-shaped sealing material 104.
To form a liquid crystal cell. The liquid crystal layer 105 is composed of a nematic liquid crystal having a twist angle of 240 degrees. A plurality of stripe-shaped transparent electrodes 113 are formed on the inner surface of the upper transparent substrate 103 by ITO or the like. An alignment film 114 is formed on the surface of the transparent electrode 113, and is subjected to a rubbing process in a predetermined direction.

On the other hand, a transparent electrode 116 made of ITO and an alignment film 115 are sequentially formed on the inner surface of the lower transparent substrate 106.

The polarizing plate 1 is placed on the outer surface of the upper transparent substrate 103.
01 is disposed, and a retardation plate 102 is disposed between the polarizing plate 101 and the transparent substrate 103. A polarizing plate 107 is disposed below the liquid crystal cell, behind a transparent substrate 106. Behind the polarizing plate 107, a scattering layer 108, a thin film Al109 having a thickness of about 20 nm, and a base material 1 of the thin film Al109.
10 are sequentially arranged. A fluorescent tube 111 that emits white light and a fluorescent tube 11
A backlight having a light guide plate 112 having an incident end face along 1 is disposed. The light guide plate 112 is a transparent body such as an acrylic resin plate having a scattering rough surface formed on the entire back surface or a scattering printing layer formed thereon, and receives light from the fluorescent tube 111 as a light source at an end face. , And emits substantially uniform light to the liquid crystal cell side. Other backlights include LEDs (light emitting diodes) and EL
(Electroluminescence) can also be used.

First, the reflection type display will be described. External light passes through the polarizing plate 101, the retardation plate 102, and the upper transparent substrate 103 in FIG. 1, respectively, and after passing through the liquid crystal layer 105, the lower transparent substrate 106, the polarizing plate 107, and the scattering layer 108,
A part is reflected by the thin film Al109, and the polarizing plate 1
Emitted from 01. At this time, a voltage is applied to the liquid crystal layer 105 by the transparent electrode 113 and the transparent electrode 116. With this applied voltage, the bright state, the dark state, and the intermediate brightness can be controlled. The scattering layer 108 is used to realize a bright display with a wide viewing angle.

Next, the transmission type display will be described. Light from the backlight is introduced into the liquid crystal layer 105 after a part of the light from the thin film Al 109 passes through the scattering layer 108, the polarizing plate 107, and the lower transparent substrate 106. Here, the liquid crystal layer 105
Can be controlled in accordance with a voltage applied to the liquid crystal layer 105 to transmit (bright state), absorb (dark state), and an intermediate state between the two.

As described above, during the transmissive display, the thin film Al109 is used.
Display is performed using light transmitted through the thin film Al109.
Is a problem. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating spectral characteristics of light transmitted through the thin film Al used in the present embodiment. Al
When a metal thin film such as Ag or Ag is formed by a sputtering method or a vapor deposition method, the transmittance on the short wavelength side generally tends to be higher than the transmittance on the long wavelength side. In FIG. 3, T _tr450 =
18.0%, T _tr550 = 16.8%, T _tr650
= 15.1%. In order to correct this tendency, FIG.
A polarizing plate having such spectral characteristics as described above was employed in the present embodiment. In FIG. 5, T ₄₅₀ = 41.0%, T ₅₅₀
= 42.5%, _T650 = 43.7%. By using a polarizing plate as shown in FIG. 5, an achromatic white display became possible, and a transmissive display with high visibility was realized.

(Second Embodiment) In a liquid crystal device having the same configuration as that of the first embodiment, the hue b ^* of the thin film Al was calculated. The hue b ^{* at} that time was −5.0. Table 1 shows the hues of the polarizing plates extracted from the polarizing plate catalog of Nitto Denko Corporation.

[0059]

[Table 1]

No. 1 in Table 1. The polarizing plates Nos. 1 to 4 have a negative b ^* and promote coloring of the thin film Al, and therefore cannot be employed in the present invention. No. The polarizing plates 5 to 9 were employed because b ^* was positive and the coloring of the thin film Al could be reduced. In particular, since b ^{* of} the thin film Al was -5.0, EG1225DU was selected as the polarizing plate on the upper and lower sides of the liquid crystal device. The upper polarizing plate and the lower polarizing plate do not have to have the same characteristics.

As described above, by selecting the polarizing plate so as to reduce the hue of the thin film Al, an achromatic white display can be realized, and a transmissive display with high visibility can be realized.

(Third Embodiment) FIG. 2 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing the structure of a third embodiment of the liquid crystal device according to the present invention.
Although this embodiment is basically related to a simple matrix type liquid crystal display device, it can be applied to an active matrix type device, another segment type device, and other liquid crystal devices with the same configuration. .

In this embodiment, two transparent substrates 20
3, 206, a liquid crystal layer 205 is a frame-shaped sealing material 204.
To form a liquid crystal cell. The liquid crystal layer 205 is composed of a nematic liquid crystal having a twist angle of 255 degrees. A plurality of stripe-shaped transparent electrodes 213 are formed on the inner surface of the upper transparent substrate 203 using ITO or the like. An alignment film 214 is formed on the surface of the transparent electrode 213, and is subjected to rubbing in a predetermined direction.

On the other hand, on the inner surface of the lower transparent substrate 206, a transparent electrode 216 made of ITO and an alignment film 215 are sequentially formed.

The polarizing plate 2 is provided on the outer surface of the upper transparent substrate 203.
01 is disposed, and a retardation plate 202 is disposed between the polarizing plate 201 and the transparent substrate 203. A scattering layer 208 is disposed below the liquid crystal cell, behind the transparent substrate 206. Behind the scattering layer 208, a polarizing plate 207, a thin film Al209 having a thickness of about 20 nm, and a base material 2 of the thin film Al209 are formed.
10 are sequentially arranged. A fluorescent tube 211 that emits white light and a fluorescent tube 21
A backlight having a light guide plate 212 having an incident end face along 1 is disposed. The light guide plate 212 is a transparent body such as an acrylic resin plate having a scattering rough surface formed on the entire back surface or a scattering printing layer, and receives light from the fluorescent tube 211 as a light source at an end face. , And emits substantially uniform light to the liquid crystal cell side. Other backlights include LEDs (light emitting diodes) and EL
(Electroluminescence) can also be used.

First, the reflection type display will be described. External light passes through the polarizing plate 201, the phase difference plate 202, and the upper transparent substrate 203 in FIG. 2, respectively, and after passing through the liquid crystal layer 205, the lower transparent substrate 206, the scattering layer 208, and the polarizing plate 207,
Part of the light is reflected by the thin film Al209, and the polarizing plate 2
Emitted from 01. At this time, a voltage is applied to the liquid crystal layer 205 by the transparent electrodes 213 and 216. With this applied voltage, the bright state, the dark state, and the intermediate brightness can be controlled. The scattering layer 208 is used to realize a bright display with a wide viewing angle. Note that the scattering layer 208 may also serve as an adhesive.

Next, the transmission type display will be described. A part of the light from the backlight is introduced from the thin film Al 209 into the liquid crystal layer 205 after passing through the polarizing plate 207, the scattering layer 208, and the lower transparent substrate 206. Here, the liquid crystal layer 205
Can be controlled in accordance with the voltage applied to the liquid crystal layer 205 to transmit (bright state), absorb (dark state), and an intermediate state between the two.

As described above, during the transmissive display, the thin film Al209 is used.
Display is performed using light transmitted through the thin film Al209.
Is a problem. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating spectral characteristics of light transmitted through the thin film Al used in the present embodiment. Al
When a metal thin film such as Ag or Ag is formed by a sputtering method or a vapor deposition method, the transmittance on the short wavelength side generally tends to be higher than the transmittance on the long wavelength side. In FIG. 3, T _tr450 =
18.0%, T _tr550 = 16.8%, T _tr650
= 15.1%. In order to correct this tendency, FIG.
An insulating film having such spectral characteristics as described above was employed in the present embodiment. The insulating film was formed between the transparent electrode 216 and the alignment film 215. In FIG. 4, T ₄₅₀ = 83.5%, T
₅₅₀ = _88.1%, a T 650 = 92.7%. By using an insulating film as shown in FIG. 4, an achromatic white display was made possible, and a transmissive display with high visibility was realized.

In this embodiment, the insulating film is formed of the transparent electrode 216.
By forming between the metal film and the alignment film 215, the coloring of the transmitted light of the metal thin film (Al) was corrected, but the position of the insulating film is not particularly limited. It does not matter where the transmitted light passes. Further, instead of the insulating film, the transparent substrates 203 and 206, the transparent electrodes 213 and 216,
Orientation films 214 and 215 may be used. In addition, 2 of these
The correction may be performed by combining two or more. In addition, the hue of the liquid crystal material to which a dye is added, the hue using the birefringence of the liquid crystal, the hue of the retardation plate colored with a dye, the hue using the birefringence of the retardation plate, etc. Hue may be corrected.

(Fourth Embodiment) In the liquid crystal device (FIG. 1) having the same configuration as that of the first embodiment, attention was paid to the scattering layer 108. FIG. 3 shows spectral characteristics of light transmitted through the thin film Al109, and FIG. 6 shows scattering intensity characteristics of light scattered forward by the scattering layer.

As described above, the transmitted light of the bluish metal thin film is corrected by the scattering characteristics of the yellowish scattering layer, and the transmitted light of the transflective liquid crystal device is made closer to white display. I was able to.

(Fifth Embodiment) In the liquid crystal device having the same configuration as that of the first embodiment (FIG. 1), attention was paid to the substrate 110 on which the thin film Al109 was formed. Since the spectral characteristics of the light transmitted through the thin film Al 109 are shown in FIG. 3, by designing the spectral characteristics of the light transmitted through the base 110 as shown in FIG. 4, the transmitted light of the transflective liquid crystal device can be displayed in white. I was able to get closer. Note that a PET film, a polycarbonate film, or the like can be used for the base material 110, and the material is not particularly limited as long as it satisfies the conditions of the present invention.

(Sixth Embodiment) In a liquid crystal device having the same configuration as that of the first embodiment (FIG. 1), a characteristic as shown in FIG. 4 is provided between a base 110 of a thin film Al109 and a light guide plate 112 of a lighting device. And the hue b ^{* of the} illumination light was set to +6.2. Hue b of light transmitted through thin film Al109
^{Since *} is -4.8, the transmitted light of the transflective liquid crystal device can be made closer to white display by the illumination light.

It is to be noted that the hue of the light emission characteristic itself of the lighting device may satisfy the condition of the present invention. Further, the light guide plate and the scattering film used on the light guide plate may satisfy the conditions of the present invention.

(Seventh Embodiment) Three examples of the electronic apparatus according to the sixteenth aspect of the present invention will be described.

The liquid crystal device of the present invention is suitable for portable equipment used in various environments and requiring low power consumption.

FIG. 7A shows a portable telephone, which has a display unit at the upper front part of the main body. Mobile phones are used in all environments, both indoors and outdoors. Especially, it is often used in cars, but the inside of cars at night is very dark. Therefore, it is desirable that the display device used in the mobile phone is a transflective liquid crystal device capable of performing transmissive display using auxiliary light as needed, mainly reflective display with low power consumption. The liquid crystal device of the present invention does not have unnecessary coloring than conventional liquid crystal devices in both reflective display and transmissive display, and has high visibility.

FIG. 7B shows a watch having a display unit at the center of the main body. An important aspect in watch applications is luxury. The liquid crystal device of the present invention not only has high visibility, but also has a small coloring due to a small change in characteristics due to the wavelength of light. Therefore, a very high-quality display can be obtained as compared with the conventional liquid crystal device.

FIG. 7C shows a portable information device having a display section on the upper side of the main body and an input section on the lower side. In addition, touch keys are often provided on the front of the display unit. Normal touch keys have a lot of surface reflections, making it difficult to see the display. Therefore, conventionally, a transmissive liquid crystal device has often been used even though it is portable. However, since the transmissive liquid crystal device always uses the backlight, the power consumption is large and the battery life is short. Even in such a case, the liquid crystal device of the present invention can be used for a portable information device because it is vivid without any unnecessary coloring and does not need to be displayed in a reflective type, a transflective type, or a transmissive type.

[0080]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the coloring of the transmissive display by the metal thin film and to realize a transflective liquid crystal device with high visibility.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing a structure of a first embodiment of a liquid crystal device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing the structure of a third embodiment of the liquid crystal device according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating spectral characteristics of a thin film Al.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating spectral characteristics of the optical structure according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating spectral characteristics of a polarizing plate according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the scattering characteristics of the scattering layer according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device equipped with the liquid crystal device according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

101, 107, 201, 207: polarizing plates 102, 202 ... retardation plates 103, 203 ... upper transparent substrates 104, 204 ... sealing agents 105, 205 ... liquid crystal layers 106, 206 ... lower transparent substrates 112, 212 ... light guide plates 111, 211: Fluorescent tube 113, 116, 213, 216: Transparent electrode 114, 115, 214, 215: Alignment film 109, 209: Thin film Al (semi-transmissive reflection layer) 108, 208: Scattering layer 110, 210: Base material _T tr450 ... of the optical structure in the transmittance T ₅₅₀ ... 550 nm of the optical structure in the transmittance T ₄₅₀ ... 450nm thin film Al in transmittance _T tr650 ... 650nm thin film Al in transmittance _T tr550 ... 550nm thin film Al of 450nm Toru optical structures in transmittance T ₆₅₀ ... 650 nm Rate

Claims (16)

[Claims] A liquid crystal layer sandwiched between a first substrate and a second substrate; a first polarizer disposed on a side of the first substrate different from the liquid crystal layer; and a liquid crystal of the second substrate. In a liquid crystal device including a second polarizing plate, a scattering layer, a transflective layer, and a lighting device sequentially arranged on a side different from the layer, the transflective layer is made of a metal thin film, and further has a light wavelength of 450 n.
m, 550 nm, 650 nm
_450, if the _{T 550, T 650,} a liquid crystal device which is characterized by providing an optical structure that satisfies _{T 450 <T 550 <T 650} . 2. A liquid crystal layer sandwiched between a first substrate and a second substrate; a first polarizer disposed on a side of the first substrate different from the liquid crystal layer; and a liquid crystal of the second substrate. In a liquid crystal device including a scattering layer, a second polarizing plate, a semi-transmissive reflection layer, and a lighting device sequentially arranged on a side different from the layer, the semi-transmissive reflection layer is made of a metal thin film and further has a light wavelength of 450 n.
m, 550 nm, 650 nm
_450, if the _{T 550, T 650,} a liquid crystal device which is characterized by providing an optical structure that satisfies _{T 450 <T 550 <T 650} . 3. A liquid crystal layer sandwiched between a first substrate and a second substrate, a first polarizer disposed on a side of the first substrate different from the liquid crystal layer, and a liquid crystal of the second substrate. In a liquid crystal device including a second polarizing plate, a scattering layer, a transflective layer, and a lighting device sequentially arranged on a side different from the layer, the transflective layer is made of a metal thin film and further has a hue b of transmitted light.
^* (CIE1976 standard L ^* a ^* b ^* display system) The liquid crystal device provided with the optical structure which satisfies b ^* > 0. 4. A liquid crystal layer sandwiched between a first substrate and a second substrate, a first polarizing plate disposed on a side of the first substrate different from the liquid crystal layer, and a liquid crystal of the second substrate. In a liquid crystal device comprising a scattering layer, a second polarizing plate, a semi-transmissive reflection layer, and a lighting device sequentially arranged on a side different from the layer, the semi-transmissive reflection layer is made of a metal thin film and further has a hue b of transmitted light.
^* (CIE1976 standard L ^* a ^* b ^* display system) The liquid crystal device provided with the optical structure which satisfies b ^* > 0. 5. The liquid crystal device according to claim 1, wherein the optical structure is at least one of the first polarizing plate and the second polarizing plate. 6. The liquid crystal device according to claim 1, wherein the optical structure is at least one of the first substrate and the second substrate. 7. The optical device according to claim 1, wherein the optical structure is at least one of a transparent electrode formed on a surface of the first substrate and the second substrate on the liquid crystal layer side. A liquid crystal device according to any one of the above. 8. The liquid crystal display according to claim 1, wherein the optical structure is at least one of an alignment film formed on a surface of the first substrate and the second substrate on the liquid crystal layer side. A liquid crystal device according to any one of the above. 9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the optical structure is an insulating film formed between the first substrate and the second substrate. Liquid crystal devices. 10. The liquid crystal device according to claim 1, wherein the optical structure is sandwiched between the first substrate and the second substrate and is made of a liquid crystal material. 11. The liquid crystal device according to claim 1, wherein the optical structure is a retardation plate disposed on a side of the first substrate different from the liquid crystal layer. . 12. The liquid crystal device according to claim 1, wherein the optical structure is the scattering layer. 13. The liquid crystal device according to claim 1, wherein the optical structure is a base material of a transflective layer. 14. The liquid crystal layer according to claim 1, wherein the optical structure is the liquid crystal layer sandwiched between a first polarizing plate having a predetermined birefringence and a second polarizing plate. 3. The liquid crystal device according to claim 1. 15. The liquid crystal device according to claim 1, wherein the optical structure is the lighting device having a predetermined light emission characteristic. 16. An electronic apparatus comprising the liquid crystal device according to claim 1 and mainly used for driving a battery.