JP2006195496A - Liquid crystal display device and electronic equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To shorten a tact time of a manufacturing process by reducing the delay in an injection time by a projection in a liquid crystal display device which performs orientation control of a liquid crystal by the projection arranged inside a panel. <P>SOLUTION: The panel is internally provided with a projecting part 28 for liquid crystal orientation control extending in one direction. The projecting part 28 is arranged in such a manner the major axis direction thereof is made nonparallel to an end side 100A of the panel provided with a liquid crystal injection port H, more specifically, in an approximately perpendicular direction. As a result, the fluid resistance of the liquid crystal is made smaller, and the injection can be smoothly performed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display device and an electronic apparatus, and more particularly to a technique capable of obtaining a display with a high contrast and a wide viewing angle in a liquid crystal display device using a vertical alignment type liquid crystal.

  As a liquid crystal display device, a transflective liquid crystal display device having both a reflection mode and a transmission mode is known. In such a transflective liquid crystal display device, a liquid crystal layer is sandwiched between an upper substrate and a lower substrate, and a reflective film in which a window for light transmission is formed on a metal film such as aluminum is disposed below. A substrate that is provided on the inner surface of the substrate and that functions as a transflective plate has been proposed. In this case, in the reflection mode, external light incident from the upper substrate side passes through the liquid crystal layer, is reflected by the reflective film on the inner surface of the lower substrate, passes through the liquid crystal layer again, and is emitted from the upper substrate side, contributing to display. To do. On the other hand, in the transmissive mode, light from the backlight incident from the lower substrate side passes through the liquid crystal layer from the window portion of the reflective film, and then is emitted to the outside from the upper substrate side, contributing to display. Accordingly, of the reflective film formation region, the region where the window is formed is the transmissive display region, and the other region is the reflective display region.

However, the conventional transflective liquid crystal device has a problem that the viewing angle in transmissive display is narrow. This is because a transflective plate is provided on the inner surface of the liquid crystal cell so that parallax does not occur, and there is a limitation that reflection display must be performed with only one polarizing plate provided on the viewer side. This is because the degree of freedom in design is small. In order to solve this problem, Jisaki et al. Proposed a new liquid crystal display device using vertically aligned liquid crystal in Non-Patent Document 1 below. The characteristics are the following three.
(1) A “VA (Vertical Alignment) mode” is adopted in which a liquid crystal having a negative dielectric anisotropy is aligned perpendicularly to a substrate, and the liquid crystal is tilted by applying a voltage.
(2) A “multi-gap structure” is employed in which the liquid crystal layer thickness (cell gap) is different between the transmissive display area and the reflective display area (refer to, for example, Patent Document 1).
(3) The transmissive display area is a regular octagon, and a protrusion is provided at the center of the transmissive display area on the counter substrate so that the liquid crystal is tilted in all directions in this area. In other words, “alignment division structure” is adopted.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-242226 "Development of transflective LCD for high contrast and wide viewing angle by using homeotropic alignment", M. Jisaki et al., Asia Display / IDW'01, p.133-136 (2001)

As described above, in a liquid crystal display device using a vertical alignment type liquid crystal (liquid crystal having negative dielectric anisotropy) that is divided and aligned without rubbing, an opening is partially provided in an electrode in a pixel, It is necessary to control the direction in which the liquid crystal molecules fall by distorting the electric field in the pixel by partially providing a dielectric protrusion on the electrode. When this liquid crystal alignment control is insufficient, the liquid crystal molecules are tilted in a random direction while maintaining a domain having a certain size in the plane. In such a state, a region having different viewing angle characteristics is generated in a part of the display region, and as a result, a rough unevenness can be seen. Therefore, in order to maintain good display quality, it is necessary to dispose liquid crystal alignment control means such as dielectric protrusions at a predetermined density in the display area of the panel. However, when the dielectric protrusions are provided as the liquid crystal alignment control means, if the ratio of the protrusions in the panel increases, these protrusions obstruct the liquid crystal injection time. In particular, when the multi-gap structure is adopted, the cell thickness in the reflective display region is reduced, and such a delay in the implantation time becomes significant.
The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and can reduce the delay of the liquid crystal injection time due to the liquid crystal alignment control protrusion disposed in the panel, thereby shortening the tact time of the manufacturing process. It is an object of the present invention to provide a liquid crystal display device and an electronic apparatus including the liquid crystal display device.

  In order to achieve the above object, a liquid crystal display device according to the present invention is enclosed in a panel composed of a pair of opposing substrates and a liquid crystal injection port provided at a predetermined end of the panel. A liquid crystal display device including a liquid crystal layer, wherein a protrusion for controlling liquid crystal alignment extending in one direction is provided in the panel, and a long axis direction of the protrusion is relative to the predetermined edge. It is characterized by being arranged non-parallel.

The liquid crystal is injected radially around the injection port immediately after the start of injection, but after a certain amount of time, the liquid crystal is filled to both ends of one end (predetermined end) of the panel provided with the injection port. This time, the liquid crystal turns around and flows in a direction perpendicular to the predetermined edge. That is, only the first is injected radially, and thereafter, the liquid crystal goes straight in the direction perpendicular to the predetermined end. Therefore, as in the configuration of the present invention, the long axis direction of the protrusion is not arranged in a direction that completely blocks the flow of the liquid crystal (that is, a direction parallel to the predetermined end side), so that the liquid crystal Can be smoothly injected.
In the above-described configuration, it is desirable that the major axis direction of the protrusion is arranged substantially perpendicular to the predetermined end side. Thereby, the flow resistance of the liquid crystal at the time of injection can be minimized.

In the present invention, a plurality of the protrusions arranged in a direction substantially parallel to the predetermined end side and a direction substantially perpendicular thereto can be used. In this case, it is desirable that the interval between the protrusions arranged in a direction substantially parallel to the predetermined end side is wider than the interval between the protrusions arranged in a direction substantially perpendicular thereto.
The flow resistance of the liquid crystal is also affected by the density of the protrusions arranged at the flow position. For example, the liquid crystal easily flows in the direction in which the protrusions are roughly arranged, and conversely does not easily flow in the direction in which the protrusions are densely arranged. For this reason, the injection can be smoothly performed by sparsely arranging the projections in the plane parallel to the predetermined end, which becomes the inflow surface of the liquid crystal as in this configuration.

  Each of the configurations described above is a case where the protrusion has a major axis direction. However, when the arrangement density of the protrusions is defined based on the flow direction of the liquid crystal as described above, when the protrusions do not have a major axis direction (for example, a conical shape, a regular polygonal pyramid shape, a hemispherical shape, etc. Even with an isotropic shape, the flow resistance of the liquid crystal during injection can be reduced. For this reason, in the present invention, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, it is possible to adopt the following configuration.

That is, the liquid crystal display device of the present invention includes a panel composed of a pair of opposing substrates, and a liquid crystal layer sealed in the panel via a liquid crystal inlet provided on a predetermined end side of the panel. In the liquid crystal display device, a plurality of protrusions for controlling liquid crystal alignment are arranged in the panel in a direction substantially parallel to the predetermined end side and in a direction substantially perpendicular thereto. Occupied density of projections on the first axis when projecting a plurality of projections arranged in a substantially parallel first axial direction onto the first axis (that is, the projections along the first axial direction) A plurality of protrusions arranged in a second axial direction that is substantially perpendicular to the predetermined end side is projected onto the second axis. In this case, the occupancy density of the projections on the axis is smaller than that of the projection. Alternatively, the liquid crystal display device of the present invention includes a panel composed of a pair of opposing substrates, and a liquid crystal layer sealed in the panel via a liquid crystal inlet provided on a predetermined end side of the panel. In the liquid crystal display device, a plurality of protrusions for controlling liquid crystal alignment are arranged in the panel in a direction substantially parallel to the predetermined end side and in a direction substantially perpendicular thereto. An interval between the protrusions arranged in a substantially parallel direction is configured to be wider than an interval between the protrusions arranged in a direction substantially perpendicular thereto.
In these structures, the protrusions are sparsely arranged in the plane parallel to the predetermined edge, which is the inflow surface of the liquid crystal, so that the injection is smooth and the manufacturing process can be shortened. Become.

  The present invention is applicable to both TN type and vertical alignment type liquid crystal display devices. However, in the case of using a vertical alignment type liquid crystal (that is, a liquid crystal with an initial alignment state of vertical alignment and negative dielectric anisotropy) in the liquid crystal layer, the viscosity of the liquid crystal is high and injection takes a long time. The effect of the present invention is more easily exhibited. In particular, when the multi-gap structure is adopted, that is, the panel has a plurality of dot areas, and a transmissive display area for performing transmissive display and a reflective display area for performing reflective display are provided in each dot area. When the liquid crystal layer thickness adjusting layer for making the liquid crystal layer thickness of the reflective display area smaller than the liquid crystal layer thickness of the transmissive display area is adopted in the reflective display area, the reflective display area Since the cell thickness is reduced and the injection takes time, the effect of the present invention is further increased.

  In addition, an electronic apparatus according to the present invention includes the above-described liquid crystal display device. As a result, an electronic device including a display unit with high display quality can be provided at low cost.

[First Embodiment]
First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, in each figure, in order to make each layer and each member into a size that can be recognized on the drawing, the scale is varied for each layer and each member.

The liquid crystal display device of the present embodiment shown below is an example of an active matrix liquid crystal display device using a thin film diode (hereinafter abbreviated as TFD) as a switching element, and particularly reflective display and transmission. This is a transflective liquid crystal display device that enables display.
FIG. 1 shows an equivalent circuit for the liquid crystal display device 100 of the present embodiment. The liquid crystal display device 100 includes a scanning signal driving circuit 110 and a data signal driving circuit 120. The liquid crystal display device 100 is provided with signal lines, that is, a plurality of scanning lines 13 and a plurality of data lines 9 intersecting the scanning lines 13. The scanning lines 13 are provided by a scanning signal driving circuit 110, and the data lines 9 are provided. It is driven by the data signal driving circuit 120. In each pixel region 150, the TFD element 40 and the liquid crystal display element 160 (liquid crystal layer) are connected in series between the scanning line 13 and the data line 9. In FIG. 1, the TFD element 40 is connected to the scanning line 13 side and the liquid crystal display element 160 is connected to the data line 9 side. On the contrary, the TFD element 40 is connected to the data line 9 side and the liquid crystal display element 160 is connected to the data line 9 side. The display element 160 may be provided on the scanning line 13 side.

  Next, the planar structure (pixel structure) of the electrodes provided in the liquid crystal display device 100 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, in the liquid crystal display device 100 of the present embodiment, the pixel electrodes 31 having a rectangular shape in plan view connected to the scanning lines 13 via the TFD elements 40 are provided in a matrix. The common electrode 9 is provided in a strip shape (stripe shape) so as to face the electrode 31 in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface. The common electrode 9 is formed of data lines and has a stripe shape that intersects the scanning lines 13. In the present embodiment, each region where each pixel electrode 31 is formed is one dot region, and a TFD element 40 is provided for each dot region arranged in a matrix, and display is performed for each dot region. It has a possible structure.

Here, the TFD element 40 is a switching element that connects the scanning line 13 and the pixel electrode 31, and the TFD element 40 is formed on the surface of the first conductive film having Ta as a main component and the first conductive film, The MIM structure includes an insulating film mainly composed of Ta ₂ O ₃ and a second conductive film formed on the surface of the insulating film and mainly composed of Cr. The first conductive film of the TFD element 40 is connected to the scanning line 13 and the second conductive film is connected to the pixel electrode 31.

  Next, the pixel configuration of the liquid crystal display device 100 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram illustrating a pixel configuration of the liquid crystal display device 100, particularly a planar configuration of the pixel electrode 31, and FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram illustrating an AA ′ cross section of FIG. is there. As shown in FIG. 2, the liquid crystal display device 100 according to the present embodiment has a dot region provided with a pixel electrode 31 inside a region surrounded by the data lines 9, the scanning lines 13, and the like. In this dot area, as shown in FIG. 3A, one colored layer of the three primary colors is arranged corresponding to one dot area, and the three dot areas (D1, D2, D3) are arranged. Pixels including the colored layers 22B (blue), 22G (green), and 22R (red) are formed.

  Next, regarding the cross-sectional structure, as shown in FIG. 3B, the liquid crystal display device 100 according to the present embodiment includes a pair of substrates facing each other via a sealing material (not shown) arranged in a rectangular frame shape. 10 and 25, a liquid crystal layer 50 made of a liquid crystal material having an initial alignment state of vertical alignment, that is, a liquid crystal material having a negative dielectric anisotropy, is sandwiched. In the present embodiment, the panel of the present invention is constituted by the substrates 10 and 25 facing each other through the sealing material, and the liquid crystal layer 50 is sealed in the inside of the panel surrounded by the substrates 10 and 25 and the sealing material. It has become.

  The lower substrate (counter substrate) 10 includes a reflective film 20 made of a highly reflective metal film such as aluminum or silver on the surface of a substrate body 10A made of a light-transmitting material such as quartz or glass with an insulating film 24 interposed therebetween. The color filter 22 (the red colored layer 22R in FIG. 3B) is disposed over the region where the reflective film 20 is not formed and the region where the reflective film 20 is formed. . Here, the formation area of the reflective film 20 becomes the reflective display area R, and the non-formation area of the reflective film 20, that is, the opening 21 of the reflective film 20 becomes the transmissive display area T. As described above, the liquid crystal display device 100 of the present embodiment is a vertical alignment type liquid crystal display device including the vertical alignment type liquid crystal layer 50, and is a transflective liquid crystal display capable of reflective display and transmissive display. Device.

  The insulating film 24 formed on the substrate body 10A has an uneven shape 24a on its surface, and the surface of the reflective film 20 has an uneven portion following the uneven shape 24a. Since the reflected light is scattered by such irregularities, reflection from the outside is prevented, and a wide viewing angle display can be obtained. The insulating film 24 having such a concavo-convex shape 24a can be obtained, for example, by patterning a resin resist and applying another layer of resin thereon. The shape may be adjusted by applying heat treatment to the patterned resin resist.

  The color filter 22 is formed across the reflective display region R and the transmissive display region T. The periphery of each colored layer constituting the color filter 22 is surrounded by a black matrix BM made of metal chromium or the like, and the boundary of the dot regions D1, D2, D3 is formed by this black matrix BM (FIG. 3 (a)).

  An insulating film 26 is further formed on the substrate 10A at a position corresponding to the reflective display region R. In other words, the insulating film 26 is selectively formed in the reflective display region R so as to be positioned above the reflective film 20, and the layer thickness of the liquid crystal layer 50 is changed to the reflective display region R along with the formation of the insulating film 26. It differs from the transmissive display area T. The insulating film 26 is made of an organic film such as an acrylic resin having a film thickness of about 0.5 to 2.5 μm, for example, and its layer thickness continuously changes in the vicinity of the boundary between the reflective display region R and the transmissive display region T. It has an inclined surface to do. The thickness of the liquid crystal layer 50 where the insulating film 26 does not exist is about 1 to 5 μm, and the thickness of the liquid crystal layer 50 in the reflective display region R is about half the thickness of the liquid crystal layer 50 in the transmissive display region T. Thus, the insulating film 26 functions as a liquid crystal layer thickness adjusting layer (liquid crystal layer thickness control layer) that varies the thickness of the liquid crystal layer 50 between the reflective display region R and the transmissive display region T depending on the film thickness thereof. is there.

A common electrode 9 made of indium tin oxide (hereinafter abbreviated as ITO) is formed on the insulating film 26 and the color filter 22, and further corresponds to the transmissive display region T on the common electrode 9. A projecting portion (projection portion) 28 is formed at the position where the projection is performed.
The convex portion 28 functions as a liquid crystal alignment control means for controlling the tilt direction of the liquid crystal, and the convex portion 28 has a predetermined height (for example, 0.05 μm to 1....) From the color filter 22 to the liquid crystal layer 50. It is configured to protrude by about 5 μm). The convex portion 28 has a horizontally long shape having a long axis in the Y-axis direction, and is arranged vertically on two side surfaces extending in the long-axis direction (in FIG. 3A, with the Y-axis interposed). The two side surfaces) are inclined surfaces (including a gently curved shape) inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the main surface of the substrate. As a result, when a voltage is applied, the tilt direction of the liquid crystal molecules is controlled in the reverse direction across the Y axis, and alignment division within one dot is possible.

The common electrode 9 is formed in a stripe shape extending in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface, and is configured as a common electrode for each of the dot regions formed side by side in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface. The common electrode 9 is formed with an opening 29 for controlling the alignment of the liquid crystal in the reflective display region R. When such an opening 29 is provided, an oblique electric field is generated between the electrodes 9 and 31 in the opening forming region, and a tilt direction based on voltage application of liquid crystal molecules vertically aligned in an initial state is generated according to the oblique electric field. Is regulated. Therefore, the orientation control of liquid crystal molecules can be performed in the reflective display region R as well as the transmissive display region T. In particular, in the reflective display region R, the lateral electric field is increased as the cell thickness is thinner than in the transmissive display region T, so that the alignment regulating force on the liquid crystal molecules is increased. The openings 29 formed in the common electrode 9 are configured to have an alternate positional relationship when viewed in plan with a slit 32 described later formed in the pixel electrode 31, and as a result, It becomes possible to regulate the tilt direction of the liquid crystal molecules LC alternately between the opening 29 and the slit 32.
In the present embodiment, the reflective film 20 and the common electrode 9 are formed separately, but in the reflective display region R, a reflective film made of a metal film can be used as a part of the common electrode.

  An alignment film 27 made of polyimide or the like is formed on the common electrode 9 and the convex portion 28. The alignment film 27 functions as a vertical alignment film that aligns liquid crystal molecules perpendicularly to the film surface, and is not subjected to alignment treatment such as rubbing.

  On the other hand, on the upper substrate (element substrate) 25 side, a pixel electrode made of a transparent conductive film such as ITO on a substrate body 25A made of a light-transmitting material such as glass or quartz (on the liquid crystal layer side of the substrate body 25A). 31 are arranged in a matrix, and an alignment film 33 made of polyimide or the like that has been subjected to the same vertical alignment treatment as the lower substrate 10 is formed so as to cover the pixel electrodes 31.

  One pixel electrode 31 is provided for each of the dots D1 to D3, and a voltage is applied independently by the TFD provided for each dot. In the present embodiment, each pixel electrode 31 includes a plurality (two in FIG. 3) of island-shaped portions 31a and 31b and a connecting portion 39 that electrically connects adjacent island-shaped portions to each other. . Each island-shaped portion 31a, 31b constitutes a sub dot, and one dot is divided into a plurality of sub dots. The shape of each subdot (island portions 31a and 31b) is a regular octagonal shape in FIG. 3, but is not limited thereto, and may be, for example, a circular shape or other polygonal shapes. In the pixel electrode 31, a slit 32 (a portion excluding the connecting portion 39) is formed between the island-shaped portions 31a and 31b. Further, the electrode opening 29 formed on the substrate main body 10A side on the lower substrate 10 side and the convex portion 28 are arranged correspondingly in the vicinity of the center of each sub dot (island portions 31a, 31b). Has been.

  Next, the phase difference plate 18 and the polarizing plate 19 are provided on the outer surface side of the lower substrate 10 (the side different from the surface sandwiching the liquid crystal layer 50), and the phase difference plate 16 and the polarizing plate 17 are also provided on the outer surface side of the upper substrate 25. Are formed so that circularly polarized light can be incident on the inner surface of the substrate (the liquid crystal layer 50 side). The retardation plate 18 and the polarizing plate 19, the retardation plate 16 and the polarizing plate 17 are respectively circularly polarized light. It constitutes a board. The polarizing plate 17 (19) is configured to transmit only linearly polarized light having a polarization axis in a predetermined direction, and a λ / 4 retardation plate is employed as the retardation plate 16 (18). As such a circularly polarizing plate, it is possible to use a polarizing plate, a combination of a λ / 2 retardation plate and a λ / 4 retardation plate (broadband circularly polarizing plate), in this case, The black display can be made more achromatic. Further, it is possible to use a structure in which a polarizing plate, a λ / 2 retardation plate, a λ / 4 retardation plate, and a c plate (a retardation plate having an optical axis in the film thickness direction) are combined. Visualization can be achieved. A backlight 15 serving as a light source for transmissive display is provided outside the polarizing plate 19 formed on the lower substrate 10.

By the way, the liquid crystal layer 50 is formed by injecting liquid crystal in a vacuum via a liquid crystal injection port provided on one side of the sealing material (a predetermined end side of the panel).
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an arrangement relationship between the convex portion 28 and the edge provided with the liquid crystal injection port, where H is a liquid crystal injection port, and 100A is a panel provided with the liquid crystal injection port H. An end side, 100B indicates both end portions of the panel end side, and 40 indicates a sealing material. Since the sealing material is provided along the edge of the substrate 25 (or the substrate 10), the illustration thereof is omitted in FIG.

  In the present embodiment, in order to shorten the injection time in the liquid crystal injection process, the major axis direction of the convex portion 28 is optimally set with respect to the liquid crystal flow direction. That is, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4A, the major axis direction of the convex portion 28 is defined as the extending direction of the predetermined end side 100A of the panel provided with the liquid crystal inlet H (X-axis direction). It is arranged non-parallel to. In other words, the liquid crystal is injected radially around the inlet H immediately after the start of injection, but after a certain amount of time, the liquid crystal is filled up to both ends 100B and 100B of the edge 100A of the panel provided with the inlet H. Then, this time, the liquid crystal turns and the liquid crystal flows along a direction (Y-axis direction) perpendicular to the end 100A. That is, only the first is injected radially, and thereafter the liquid crystal goes straight in the Y-axis direction as a whole. For this reason, the major axis direction of the convex portion 28 is not arranged in the direction that completely blocks the flow of liquid crystal as shown in FIG. 4B (that is, the X axis direction that is parallel to the end 100A). Thus, the liquid crystal can be injected smoothly.

  In particular, in this embodiment, in order to minimize the flow resistance of the liquid crystal during injection, the major axis of the convex portion 28 is arranged in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the end side 100A (Y-axis direction). Note that the major axis direction does not necessarily need to be perpendicular to the end side 100A, and the flow resistance can be sufficiently reduced even if the major axis direction is slightly inclined. In fact, when the panel having the configuration shown in FIG. 4A and the panel having the configuration shown in FIG. 4B were prepared and liquid crystal was injected under the same conditions, the injection time in FIG. 4B was 90 minutes. On the other hand, in FIG. 4A having the configuration of the present embodiment, the injection time took only 40 minutes. That is, the injection time can be shortened to half or less by optimizing the major axis direction of the convex portion 28.

As described above, according to the liquid crystal display device 100 of the present embodiment, the following effects can be exhibited.
First, in the liquid crystal display device 100 of the present embodiment, the insulating film 26 is provided in the reflective display region R so that the thickness of the liquid crystal layer 50 in the reflective display region R is approximately half the thickness of the liquid crystal layer 50 in the transmissive display region T. Since it can be made smaller, the retardation contributing to the reflective display and the retardation contributing to the transmissive display can be made substantially equal, thereby improving the contrast.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the tilting direction of the liquid crystal at the time of voltage application can be defined by the action of the oblique electric field based on the inclined surface of the convex portion 28 and the opening 29 and the slit 32, so that disclination occurs. As a result, it is possible to obtain a high-quality display in which afterimages associated therewith and rough unevenness when observed from an oblique direction are unlikely to occur.

  Further, in this embodiment, since the major axis direction of the convex portion 28 which is a liquid crystal alignment control means is arranged in a direction along the flow of the liquid crystal at the time of liquid crystal injection, the flow resistance of the liquid crystal is reduced and the time required for liquid crystal injection is reduced. It can be shortened. In particular, in this embodiment, vertical alignment type liquid crystal with high viscosity is used for the liquid crystal layer, and since a multi-gap structure is adopted, the delay in the injection time is significant. Therefore, it is possible to alleviate the delay and greatly contribute to the shortening of the manufacturing process.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram corresponding to FIG. 3 of the first embodiment, showing a plan view and a cross-sectional view of the liquid crystal display device of the present embodiment. In this embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the same members and parts as those in the first embodiment.

  The liquid crystal display device 200 of this embodiment is a transmissive liquid crystal display device that does not have a reflective display region. As shown in FIG. 5A, the liquid crystal display device 200 has a dot region including a pixel electrode 31 inside a region surrounded by the data lines 9, the scanning lines 13, and the like. In this dot area, one colored layer of the three primary colors is arranged corresponding to one dot area, and the colored layers 22B (blue), 22G are arranged in the three dot areas (D1, D2, D3). Pixels including (green) and 22R (red) are formed.

  Looking at the cross-sectional structure, as shown in FIG. 5B, the liquid crystal display device 200 of the present embodiment includes a pair of substrates 10 and 25 facing each other via a sealing material (not shown) arranged in a rectangular frame shape. A liquid crystal layer 50 made of a liquid crystal material having an initial alignment state of vertical alignment, that is, a liquid crystal material having negative dielectric anisotropy, is sandwiched therebetween. In the present embodiment, the panel of the present invention is constituted by the substrates 10 and 25 facing each other through the sealing material, and the liquid crystal layer 50 is sealed in the inside of the panel surrounded by the substrates 10 and 25 and the sealing material. It has become.

  In the lower substrate (counter substrate) 10, a common electrode 9 made of ITO is formed on the surface of a substrate main body 10 </ b> A made of a light-transmitting material such as quartz or glass, and a convex portion 28 is formed on the surface of the common electrode 9. Is formed.

  The convex portion 28 functions as a liquid crystal alignment control means for controlling the tilt direction of the liquid crystal, and the convex portion 28 has a predetermined height (for example, 0.05 μm to 1....) From the common electrode 9 to the liquid crystal layer 50. It is configured to protrude by about 5 μm). The convex portion 28 includes an inclined surface (including a gently curved shape) inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the substrate surface, and the tilt direction of the liquid crystal molecules is regulated along the inclined surface. ing. The convex portion 28 preferably has a shape in which the cross section is substantially bilaterally symmetric. Specifically, the shape is preferably a cone shape, an elliptical cone shape, a polygonal cone shape, a truncated cone shape, an elliptical truncated cone shape, a polygonal truncated cone shape, a hemispherical shape, or the like. As a result, the liquid crystal molecules are tilted in all directions when a voltage is applied, and alignment in multiple directions is possible.

  The common electrode 9 is formed in a stripe shape extending in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface, and is configured as a common electrode for each of the dot regions formed side by side in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface. An alignment film 27 made of polyimide or the like is formed on the common electrode 9 and the convex portion 28. The alignment film 27 functions as a vertical alignment film that aligns liquid crystal molecules perpendicularly to the film surface, and is not subjected to alignment treatment such as rubbing.

  On the other hand, on the upper substrate 25 side, a color filter 22 (a red colored layer 22R in FIG. 5B) is disposed on the surface of a substrate body 25A made of a translucent material such as glass or quartz. Pixel electrodes 31 made of a transparent conductive film such as ITO are arranged in a matrix on the surface of 22, and alignment made of polyimide or the like that has been subjected to the same vertical alignment treatment as the lower substrate 10 so as to cover the pixel electrodes 31. A film 33 is formed.

  One pixel electrode 31 is provided for each of the dots D1 to D3, and a voltage is applied independently by the TFD provided for each dot. In the present embodiment, each pixel electrode 31 includes a plurality (four in FIG. 3) of island-shaped portions 31a, 31b, 31c, and 31d and a connecting portion 39 that electrically connects adjacent island-shaped portions to each other. It is configured. Each island-shaped portion 31a, 31b, 31c, 31d constitutes a sub dot, and one dot is divided into a plurality of these sub dots. The shape of each sub dot (island portions 31a, 31b, 31c, 31d) is an octagonal shape in FIG. 3, but is not limited to this, and may be, for example, a circular shape or other polygonal shapes. In the pixel electrode 31, a slit 32 (a portion excluding the connecting portion 39) having a shape in which the electrode is partially cut is formed between the island-shaped portions 31a, 31b, 31c, and 31d. . Further, the convex portion 28 is disposed in a plane corresponding to the vicinity of the center of each subdot (island portions 31a, 31b, 31c, 31d).

  Next, the phase difference plate 18 and the polarizing plate 19 are provided on the outer surface side of the lower substrate 10 (the side different from the surface sandwiching the liquid crystal layer 50), and the phase difference plate 16 and the polarizing plate 17 are also provided on the outer surface side of the upper substrate 25. Are formed so that circularly polarized light can be incident on the inner surface of the substrate (the liquid crystal layer 50 side). The retardation plate 18 and the polarizing plate 19, the retardation plate 16 and the polarizing plate 17 are respectively circularly polarized light. It constitutes a board. The polarizing plate 17 (19) is configured to transmit only linearly polarized light having a polarization axis in a predetermined direction, and a λ / 4 retardation plate is employed as the retardation plate 16 (18). As such a circularly polarizing plate, it is possible to use a polarizing plate, a combination of a λ / 2 retardation plate and a λ / 4 retardation plate (broadband circularly polarizing plate), in this case, The black display can be made more achromatic. Further, it is possible to use a structure in which a polarizing plate, a λ / 2 retardation plate, a λ / 4 retardation plate, and a c plate (a retardation plate having an optical axis in the film thickness direction) are combined. Visualization can be achieved. A backlight 15 serving as a light source for transmissive display is provided outside the polarizing plate 19 formed on the lower substrate 10.

By the way, also in this embodiment, the liquid crystal layer 50 is formed by injecting liquid crystal in a vacuum via a liquid crystal injection port provided on one side of the sealing material (a predetermined end side of the panel). In this embodiment, the arrangement of the convex portions 28 is optimally set with respect to the liquid crystal flow direction in order to shorten the injection time in the liquid crystal injection process.
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the convex portion 28 and the edge provided with the liquid crystal injection port, where H is a liquid crystal injection port and 100A is a panel provided with the liquid crystal injection port H. An end side, 100B indicates both end portions of the panel end side, and 40 indicates a sealing material. Since the sealing material is provided along the edge of the substrate 25 (or the substrate 10), the illustration thereof is omitted in FIG.

  In the present embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, the long axis direction is not provided in the convex portion 28. For this reason, in the present embodiment, the arrangement density of the convex portions 28 is varied according to the arrangement direction in order to reduce the flow resistance of the liquid crystal during liquid crystal injection. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6A, a plurality of convex portions 28 arranged in a direction (X-axis direction) parallel to the panel edge 100A provided with the liquid crystal inlet H are arranged on the X-axis. Occupied density of the convex portions 28 on the axis when projected onto (i.e., a spatial ratio occupied by the convex portions 28 per unit axial length when the convex portions 28 are viewed along the X-axis direction) ) Is larger than the occupied density of the convex portions 28 on the axis when the plurality of convex portions 28 arranged in the direction perpendicular to the panel edge 100A (Y-axis direction) are projected on the Y axis. It is configured to be smaller. In the present embodiment, since the convex portion 28 has an isotropic shape such as a conical shape, the above configuration can be rephrased as follows. That is, in this embodiment, the interval between the convex portions 28 arranged in the direction (X-axis direction) parallel to the edge 100A of the panel provided with the liquid crystal inlet H is in the direction perpendicular to this (Y-axis direction). It is configured to be wider than the interval between the arrayed convex portions 28.

That is, the flow resistance of the liquid crystal is also affected by the density of the convex portion 28 arranged at the flow position, and the liquid crystal easily flows, for example, in the direction in which the convex portion 28 is coarsely arranged. It becomes difficult to flow in the direction in which the portions 28 are densely arranged. For this reason, the injection can be smoothly performed by sparsely arranging the convex portions 28 in the plane parallel to the panel edge 100 (in the XZ plane), which becomes the liquid crystal inflow surface as in this configuration. Can do it. The arrangement direction of the convex portions 28 does not necessarily have to be exactly parallel or perpendicular to the panel edge 100A provided with the liquid crystal injection hole H, and the flow resistance can be sufficiently reduced even if it is slightly inclined. it can.
Actually, when a panel having the configuration shown in FIG. 6B in which the relationship between the density of the convex portion 28 and the panel having the configuration shown in FIG. 6A is reversed is manufactured and liquid crystal is injected under the same conditions, FIG. In the case of 6 (b), the injection time took 45 minutes, whereas in the case of FIG. 4 (a) which is the configuration of this embodiment, the injection time took only 30 minutes. That is, by optimizing the arrangement density of the convex portions 28 based on the liquid crystal flow direction, the liquid crystal injection time can be shortened to about 2/3.

  In FIG. 6A, the number of the convex portions 28 arranged in the direction parallel to the panel edge 100A is smaller than the number of the convex portions 28 arranged in the direction perpendicular thereto (see FIG. 6). 6 (a) has a ratio of 3: 5), but the number of the convex portions 28 is not limited to this, and for example, as shown in FIG. 7, it is possible to make these numbers equal. . However, the number of the convex portions 28 arranged in the plane (XZ plane) parallel to the panel edge 100A that becomes the liquid crystal inflow surface is reduced as much as possible (specifically, the convex portions 28 arranged in the X direction). Is less than the number of convex portions 28 arranged in the Y direction), and this makes it possible to shorten the injection time.

  7 (a) and 7 (b) show an example in which the number of convex portions 28 arranged in the X direction is equal to the number of convex portions 28 arranged in the Y direction. FIG. 7B shows an example in which the arrangement density of the convex portions 28 arranged in the X direction is coarser than the arrangement density of the convex portions 28 arranged in the Y direction, as in the present embodiment. ) Shows an example in which the arrangement density of the convex portions 28 arranged in the X direction is made denser than the arrangement density of the convex portions 28 arranged in the Y direction. In FIG. 7B, the injection time was 40 minutes, and in FIG. 7A, the injection time was 30 minutes. Thus, although the implantation time becomes longer by increasing the number of arrangements in the X direction (as shown in FIG. 7B), the arrangement density of the convex portions 28 is set as in the present embodiment (that is, By making the arrangement density of the convex portions 28 arranged in the X direction rougher than the arrangement density of the convex portions 28 arranged in the Y direction, the injection time is shortened.

As described above, also in this embodiment, since the orientation control is performed by the convex portion 28 which is the orientation control means, an afterimage associated with the occurrence of disclination, a rough spot-like unevenness when observed from an oblique direction, and the like. High-quality display that is unlikely to occur is obtained.
In the present embodiment, the arrangement density of the convex portions 28 is optimized based on the flow direction of the liquid crystal at the time of liquid crystal injection, so the time required for the liquid crystal injection process is shortened and the entire manufacturing process is shortened. Can be planned.

[Electronics]
Next, specific examples of the electronic apparatus including the liquid crystal display device according to the above embodiment of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an example of a mobile phone. In FIG. 8, reference numeral 1000 denotes a mobile phone body, and reference numeral 1001 denotes a display unit using the liquid crystal display device. When the liquid crystal display device according to any of the above embodiments is used as a display unit of such an electronic device such as a mobile phone, an electronic device provided with a liquid crystal display unit that is bright, has high contrast, and has a wide viewing angle regardless of the use environment. Equipment can be realized. In particular, the liquid crystal display device 1001 can be supplied at a low cost by a short TAT of the manufacturing process, and thus the cost of the entire electronic device can be suppressed.

The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, in the first embodiment, only the major axis direction of the convex portions 28 is optimized with respect to the liquid crystal flow direction, but in addition to this, the arrangement density of the convex portions 28 is the same as in the second embodiment. It is also possible to optimize by this method. In other words, the interval between the convex portions 28 arranged in the direction parallel to the edge 100A of the panel provided with the liquid crystal inlet H (X-axis direction) is convex in the direction perpendicular to this (Y-axis direction). You may comprise so that it may become wider than the space | interval of the shape part 28. FIG. Thereby, income time can be further shortened.
In the above embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to an active matrix liquid crystal display device using TFD as a switching element has been described. However, in addition to an active matrix liquid crystal display device using TFT as a switching element, a passive matrix type liquid crystal display device is also used. The present invention can also be applied to a liquid crystal display device or the like.

1 is an equivalent circuit diagram of a liquid crystal display device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The top view which shows the structure of the dot of a liquid crystal display device equally. The plane schematic diagram and cross-sectional schematic diagram which show the principal part of a liquid crystal display device. The figure which shows the arrangement | positioning relationship between the injection inlet of a liquid crystal display device, and a projection part. The plane schematic diagram and cross-sectional schematic diagram which show the principal part of the liquid crystal display device which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the arrangement | positioning relationship between the injection inlet of a liquid crystal display device, and a projection part. The figure which shows the other arrangement | positioning relationship between the injection hole of a liquid crystal display device, and a projection part. FIG. 14 is a perspective view illustrating an example of an electronic device of the invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... TFT array substrate, 25 ... Counter substrate, 26 ... Insulating film (liquid crystal layer thickness adjustment layer), 28 ... Convex part (protrusion part), 50 ... Liquid crystal layer, 100A ... Predetermined edge, R ... Reflection display area , T: transmissive display region, D1, D2, D3: dot region, H: liquid crystal injection port.

Claims (8)

A liquid crystal display device comprising: a panel composed of a pair of opposing substrates; and a liquid crystal layer sealed in the panel via a liquid crystal inlet provided on a predetermined end of the panel,
A liquid crystal alignment control projection extending in one direction is provided in the panel, and a major axis direction of the projection is arranged non-parallel to the predetermined edge. Display device.   The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein a major axis direction of the protrusion is arranged substantially perpendicular to the predetermined end side. A plurality of the protrusions are arranged in a direction substantially parallel to the predetermined end side and a direction substantially perpendicular thereto,
The interval between the projections arranged in a direction substantially parallel to the predetermined end side is configured to be wider than the interval between the projections arranged in a direction substantially perpendicular thereto. 3. A liquid crystal display device according to 1 or 2. A liquid crystal display device comprising: a panel composed of a pair of opposing substrates; and a liquid crystal layer sealed in the panel via a liquid crystal inlet provided on a predetermined end of the panel,
A plurality of liquid crystal alignment control protrusions are arranged in the panel in a direction substantially parallel to the predetermined edge and a direction substantially perpendicular thereto,
When the plurality of protrusions arranged in the first axial direction substantially parallel to the predetermined end side are projected onto the first axis, the occupation density of the protrusions on the axis is the predetermined end side. A plurality of protrusions arranged in a second axis direction substantially perpendicular to the first axis is configured to be smaller than the occupation density of the protrusions on the axis when projected onto the second axis, Liquid crystal display device. A liquid crystal display device comprising: a panel composed of a pair of opposing substrates; and a liquid crystal layer sealed in the panel via a liquid crystal inlet provided on a predetermined end of the panel,
A plurality of liquid crystal alignment control protrusions are arranged in the panel in a direction substantially parallel to the predetermined edge and a direction substantially perpendicular thereto,
The liquid crystal display, wherein an interval between the protrusions arranged in a direction substantially parallel to the predetermined end side is wider than an interval between the protrusions arranged in a direction substantially perpendicular thereto. apparatus.   The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal layer is made of a liquid crystal having a negative dielectric anisotropy in which an initial alignment state is a vertical alignment. The panel has a plurality of dot areas, and a transmissive display area for performing transmissive display and a reflective display area for performing reflective display are provided in each of the dot areas.
7. The liquid crystal according to claim 6, wherein a liquid crystal layer thickness adjusting layer is provided in the reflective display area to make the liquid crystal layer thickness of the reflective display area smaller than the liquid crystal layer thickness of the transmissive display area. Display device.   An electronic apparatus comprising the liquid crystal display device according to claim 1.

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