JP2008083206A - Liquid crystal device and electronic equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem that a liquid crystal device having an entire-surface overcoat layer has a display defect nearby a liquid crystal injection hole of a seal material. <P>SOLUTION: The liquid crystal device has a pair of substrates 5a and 6a stuck together with the seal material 4 having the liquid crystal injection hole 8 and enclosing a display area V, liquid crystal injected between the pair of substrates through the liquid crystal injection hole 8, a sealing agent 10 for sealing the liquid crystal injection hole 8, and the entire-surface overcoat layer 33 provided to at least one of the pair of substrates 5a and 6a. The overcoat layer 33 extends to outside the seal material 4, and the sealing agent 10 and the overcoat layer 33 are made of an acrylic resin-containing material. The liquid crystal injection hole 8 includes an auxiliary film 51a over the entire area in the width direction Dw of the liquid crystal injection hole 8 and over the entire area in a liquid crystal inflow direction Dr thereof. Thus, the auxiliary film 51a is interposed between the sealing agent 10 and the overcoat layer 33 to suppress generation of reaction products. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid crystal device configured to inject liquid crystal into a liquid crystal panel through a liquid crystal injection port provided in a sealing material, and an electronic apparatus using the same.

  Currently, liquid crystal devices are widely used in electronic devices such as mobile phones and PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants). For example, a liquid crystal device is used as a display unit for displaying various types of information regarding electronic devices. In this liquid crystal device, generally, a display area is formed in an area on a substrate formed of glass or the like and surrounded by a sealing material, and an image is displayed in the display area.

  As this liquid crystal device, a liquid crystal device having a configuration in which an overcoat layer is provided in a region surrounded by a seal material without exceeding the seal material has been known (for example, see Patent Document 1). In this specification, the overcoat layer provided without exceeding the seal material in the region surrounded by the seal material is referred to as a selective overcoat layer in this specification.

  When this selective overcoat layer is used, the cell gap in the vicinity of the inner periphery of the sealing material varies with respect to the cell gap in the display area, which is a planar area for displaying an image. There is a problem in that the display area cannot be widened, and the frame area, which is a peripheral area that does not contribute to display, becomes wide.

  Further, although not yet known, for example, as shown in FIG. 10, there is a technique of providing an overcoat layer 103 over a sealing material 102 on a substrate 101 made of glass or the like. In this specification, the overcoat layer provided beyond the sealing material is referred to as an entire overcoat layer in this specification. According to this technique, since the cell gap G in the vicinity of the inner periphery of the sealing material 102 can be made equal to the cell gap G in the display area V, the display area V can be widened or the frame area around the display area V can be narrowed. it can.

  In FIG. 10, the color filter 107, the overcoat layer 103, the strip electrode 108, the photo spacer 109, and the alignment film 110a are provided on the substrate 101, and the light reflection film 112, the strip electrode 113, A simple matrix type reflective liquid crystal device having an alignment film 110b is illustrated, but other types, for example, an active matrix type liquid crystal device using a switching element, and the transmittance of light transmitted through the liquid crystal panel are controlled. Similarly, the entire overcoat layer is applied to each liquid crystal device such as a light transmissive liquid crystal device that performs display and a transflective liquid crystal device having both a light reflective type and a light transmissive type function. can do.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-309149 (page 6, FIG. 1)

  FIG. 11A shows a general liquid crystal device. In this liquid crystal device, the liquid crystal 105 is injected through a liquid crystal injection port 106 provided at an appropriate position of the sealing material 102, and the liquid crystal injection port 106 is a liquid crystal injection port. After the injection, it is sealed with a sealant 104. FIG.11 (b) and FIG.11 (c) have shown sectional drawing according to the Z11-Z11 line | wire in Fig.11 (a). FIG. 11B shows a case where the overcoat layer is a selective overcoat layer in which the formation region of the overcoat layer is limited to a region surrounded by the sealant 102, and FIG. The case of the entire overcoat layer formed exceeding 102 is shown.

  In the case of the selective overcoat layer shown in FIG. 11B, since the overcoat layer is not formed in the outer region of the sealant 102, the sealant 104 that seals the liquid crystal inlet 106 of the sealant 102 is the substrate 114a and 114b is in contact with the surface. On the other hand, in the case of the entire overcoat layer shown in FIG. 11C, since the overcoat layer 103 is formed beyond the sealing material 102, the sealant 104 is in contact with the overcoat layer 103.

  In the case of using a photocurable acrylic resin as the sealant, when the sealant is cured, the sealant is irradiated with light, for example, ultraviolet rays. At this time, there is no problem in the case of the selective overcoat layer of FIG. 11B, but in the case of the entire overcoat layer of FIG. The ionic substance may flow into the overcoat layer 103, or the overcoat layer 103 itself may react with light to generate an ionic substance therein.

  If an ionic substance is present in the overcoat layer 103 and the ionic substance enters the display region, display defects such as display unevenness may occur in that portion. Therefore, in the conventional liquid crystal device using the entire overcoat layer, there is a possibility that a display defect may occur in the vicinity of the liquid crystal inlet 106.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and in a liquid crystal device and an electronic apparatus having an entire overcoat layer, a display defect occurs in the vicinity of a liquid crystal injection port of a sealing material. The purpose is to eliminate.

  A first liquid crystal device according to the present invention includes a pair of substrates bonded to each other by a sealing material that includes a liquid crystal injection port and surrounds a display region, liquid crystal injected between the pair of substrates through the liquid crystal injection port, A sealant that seals the liquid crystal injection port, and an overcoat layer provided on at least one of the pair of substrates, the overcoat layer extending to the outside of the sealing material, The sealant and the overcoat layer are formed of a material containing an acrylic resin, and are the entire width direction of the liquid crystal injection port and at least one of the liquid crystal inflow directions in the liquid crystal injection port. An auxiliary film is provided in the portion.

  The liquid crystal device according to the present invention is a liquid crystal device using an overcoat layer that extends to the outside of the sealing material, that is, a so-called entire surface overcoat layer. In a liquid crystal device using a whole surface overcoat layer, the whole surface overcoat layer may be in direct contact with the sealant 104 at the liquid crystal inlet 106 as indicated by reference numeral 103 in FIG. Display unevenness may occur in the vicinity of the inlet 106.

  There are several possible reasons for this, but the following can be considered as major factors. The reaction of curing the overcoat layer and the sealant is generally a radical reaction using ultraviolet rays, and the reaction mechanisms of both are approximate. For this reason, it is considered that the sealant and the overcoat layer react with each other to precipitate impurities, and display unevenness occurs due to the influence of the precipitates. It is also conceivable that when the reaction component is dissolved in the liquid crystal, the alignment film is adsorbed on the liquid crystal, thereby causing alignment defects and causing display unevenness.

  The above phenomenon can be assumed. As in the present invention, the auxiliary film is provided in the entire width direction with respect to the liquid crystal injection port of the sealing material and in at least a part of the liquid crystal inflow direction. For example, the presence of the auxiliary film prevents the sealant and the overcoat layer from coming into direct contact with each other, thereby avoiding the reaction between the overcoat layer and the sealant, and the reaction product causes display unevenness. It can be prevented from occurring. Moreover, even if a reaction occurs between the overcoat layer and the sealant and a reaction product is generated, the reaction product is displayed on the display by trapping (capturing) the reaction product with an auxiliary film. It is possible to prevent the influence, thereby preventing display unevenness.

  In the liquid crystal device according to the present invention having the above-described configuration, the auxiliary film may be configured such that a part of the auxiliary film is disposed between at least one of the pair of substrates and the sealing material.

  Next, in the liquid crystal device according to the present invention, it is preferable that the auxiliary film is interposed between the sealant and the overcoat layer and isolates the overcoat layer from the sealant. In this case, the auxiliary film may have a configuration in which the overcoat layer and the encapsulant are in contact with each other on the entire surface, or one of the surfaces on which the overcoat layer and the encapsulant are in contact. The structure which intervenes in a part may be sufficient. According to this aspect of the invention, it is possible to suppress the generation of reaction products by avoiding the direct reaction between the overcoat layer and the sealant by the presence of the auxiliary film, and thereby display in the vicinity of the liquid crystal injection port. Unevenness can be prevented.

Next, in the liquid crystal device according to the present invention in which an auxiliary film is interposed between the sealant and the overcoat layer, the auxiliary film is made of a material or acrylic having the property of attenuating the amount of light and allowing light to pass therethrough. It is desirable that the base resin be formed of a material having a property of adsorbing an ionic substance generated when light is irradiated to the resin. A material having the property of attenuating the amount of light and allowing light to pass through can be realized by any material capable of attenuating light. In addition, materials having a property of adsorbing an ionic substance generated when light is applied to an acrylic resin include, for example, polyimide that is generally used as a material for an alignment film, SiN, SiO ₂ that is generally used as an insulating film, and the like. Can be realized.

  The auxiliary film is only interposed between the sealant and the overcoat layer, and prevents both of them from reacting with each other when receiving light, but attenuates the amount of light and passes the light. If the auxiliary film is formed of a material having such a property, the generation of reaction products in the overcoat layer itself can be suppressed, so that the amount of the substance itself that may induce display unevenness can be reduced.

  In addition, if an auxiliary film is formed of a material having a property of adsorbing an ionic substance that is generated when light is applied to an acrylic resin, when the sealing agent and the overcoat layer receive light, they are temporarily Even if a reaction product is generated during this period, the reaction product can be trapped by the auxiliary film, so that a substance that may induce display unevenness can be prevented from flowing into the display region.

  Next, in the liquid crystal device according to the present invention, it is desirable that the auxiliary film is provided on the overcoat layer at a position away from the sealant. This configuration defines a configuration in which an auxiliary film is not disposed between the sealant and the overcoat layer, but is disposed at a position away from the sealant. If an auxiliary film is not interposed between the sealant and the overcoat layer, a reaction product may be generated between the sealant and the overcoat layer when light hits them. . However, even in this case, the reaction product is adsorbed and trapped on the auxiliary film and is prevented from flowing into the display area, thereby preventing display unevenness in the vicinity of the liquid crystal injection port.

Next, in the liquid crystal device according to the present invention in which the auxiliary film is provided on the overcoat layer at a position away from the sealant, the auxiliary film includes ions generated when the acrylic resin is irradiated with light. It is desirable that the material is formed of a material having a property of adsorbing the active substance, such as polyimide, SiN, SiO ₂ or the like. With this configuration, the ionic substance, which is a reaction product generated between the sealant and the overcoat layer, is adsorbed on the auxiliary film and trapped, so that the ionic substance flows into the display area. This can prevent the occurrence of display unevenness in the vicinity of the liquid crystal injection port.

  Next, in the liquid crystal device according to the present invention in which the auxiliary film is provided on the overcoat layer at a position away from the sealant, the auxiliary film expands toward the display region of the liquid crystal injection port. It is desirable to be provided over the width direction of the portion. With this configuration, the ionic substance that is about to flow into the display region can be reliably trapped by the auxiliary film.

  Next, in the liquid crystal device according to the present invention, it is desirable that one of the pair of substrates is provided with a plurality of colored films in the same layer, and the overcoat layer is a planarizing film that covers the colored film. . This configuration stipulates that the present invention is applied to a liquid crystal device that performs color display using a colored film.

  Next, in the liquid crystal device according to the present invention, it is preferable that the liquid crystal device further includes an alignment film provided on the overcoat layer, and the auxiliary film is formed of the same material as the alignment film. In a normal liquid crystal device, the alignment film is often formed of polyimide. This polyimide is a material having a reaction mechanism with respect to light different from that of the sealant and the overcoat layer. If this polyimide is interposed between the sealant and the overcoat layer, generation of a reaction product when the sealant and the overcoat layer are irradiated with light can be reliably prevented. Polyimide is a material having a property of adsorbing an ionic substance generated when light is applied to an acrylic resin. Therefore, if this polyimide is used as an auxiliary film, even if an ionic substance is generated when light is applied to the sealant and the overcoat layer, the ionic substance is trapped by adsorption and the display is affected. I can prevent it.

  Next, in the liquid crystal device in which the auxiliary film is formed of the same material as the alignment film, a gap, that is, a portion where there is no constituent material for the alignment film and the auxiliary film may be provided between the alignment film and the auxiliary film. desirable. If the alignment film and the auxiliary film are connected to each other, a reaction product such as an ionic substance may flow into the display region due to a chromatographic phenomenon (that is, a phenomenon in which a different substance moves within one substance). In contrast, if a gap is provided between the alignment film and the auxiliary film, the reaction product can be reliably prevented from flowing into the display region.

  Next, a second liquid crystal device according to the present invention includes a pair of substrates bonded to each other by a sealing material having a liquid crystal injection port and surrounding a display region, and liquid crystal injected between the pair of substrates through the liquid crystal injection port. And a sealing agent that seals the liquid crystal injection port, and an overcoat layer provided on at least one of the pair of substrates, the overcoat layer extending to the outside of the sealing material, The sealant and the overcoat layer are formed of a photocurable resin, and assist the entire liquid crystal inlet in the width direction, at least part of the liquid crystal inflow direction, and part of the height direction. A film is provided.

  This liquid crystal device defines the present invention from a viewpoint different from that of the first liquid crystal device. In the first liquid crystal device, the sealant and the overcoat layer are formed of an acrylic resin. In the second liquid crystal device, the sealant and the overcoat layer are formed of a photocurable resin. Also in this case, if the overcoat layer is formed as an entire overcoat layer and the sealant and the overcoat layer are in contact with each other at the liquid crystal injection port, the sealant is sealed in order to cure the sealant. When the stopper is irradiated with light, a reaction product such as an ionic substance may be generated between the sealant and the overcoat layer.

  If no measures are taken, the generated reaction product may enter the display area through the overcoat layer and cause display unevenness. On the other hand, according to the second liquid crystal device of the present invention, the auxiliary film over the entire area in the width direction with respect to the liquid crystal inlet, at least part of the liquid crystal inflow direction, and over part of the height direction. Since the auxiliary film is provided, the reaction product can be prevented from entering the display area.

  Next, a third liquid crystal device according to the present invention includes a first substrate and a second substrate that are bonded to each other by a sealing material that includes a liquid crystal injection port and surrounds a display region, and the first substrate and the second substrate through the liquid crystal injection port. Liquid crystal injected between the second substrate, a sealant that seals the liquid crystal injection port, a switching element provided on the first substrate, and a pixel connected to an electrode terminal of the switching element An electrode and a common electrode provided to face the pixel electrode with an insulating film interposed therebetween, the insulating film extending to an outside of the sealing material, and the sealing agent and the insulating film are acrylic An auxiliary film is formed of a resin-containing material or a photo-curing resin, and an auxiliary film is provided over the liquid crystal injection port in the entire width direction, at least part of the liquid crystal inflow direction, and over a part of the height direction. It is characterized by that.

  This liquid crystal device defines the present invention from a viewpoint different from the first liquid crystal device and the second liquid crystal device. In the liquid crystal device according to the present invention, the pixel electrode and the common electrode are arranged in a planar manner on the first substrate, which is one substrate, via an insulating film, and the electrode is disposed on the second substrate, which is the other substrate. The present invention is specified to be applied to a liquid crystal device having a configuration in which no is formed. This type of liquid crystal device is currently known as a lateral electric field type liquid crystal device.

  In a vertical electric field type liquid crystal device typified by a TN (Twisted Nematic) type liquid crystal device, electrodes are provided on both of a pair of electrodes facing each other, and the alignment of liquid crystal molecules arranged in the vertical direction between the substrates is caused by the vertical electric field The image is displayed by controlling. In contrast, in a horizontal electric field type liquid crystal device, a horizontal electric field (that is, an electric field parallel to the substrate) is formed between a pair of electrodes provided at different plane positions on one substrate, and liquid crystal molecules are generated by the horizontal electric field. The image is displayed by controlling the orientation.

  In the vertical electric field type liquid crystal device, the angle at which the liquid crystal molecules are viewed differs according to the change in the angle at which the display surface is viewed, and when the angle exceeds a predetermined angle corresponding to the tilt angle of the liquid crystal molecules, The display becomes invisible. That is, the vertical electric field type liquid crystal device has a property that the viewing angle is narrow. On the other hand, in a horizontal electric field type liquid crystal device, the orientation of liquid crystal molecules changes in a plane parallel to the substrate, so that the angle at which the viewer sees the liquid crystal molecules changes even when the angle at which the observer views the display surface changes. In other words, the visual angle is not lost due to the change in the viewing angle. Therefore, a wide viewing angle can be secured in the vertical electric field type liquid crystal device.

  As a lateral electric field type liquid crystal device, an IPS (In-Plane Switching) mode liquid crystal device and an FFS (Fringe Field Switching) mode liquid crystal device are known. The IPS mode is a mode in which a horizontal electric field is formed in which the distance between the pixel electrode and the common electrode in a direction parallel to the substrate is relatively wide. The FFS mode is a mode that forms a horizontal electric field (so-called horizontal oblique electric field) having a relatively short interval between the pixel electrode and the common electrode in a direction parallel to the substrate, that is, a parabolic electric field. It is.

  In the case of the IPS mode, a horizontal electric field can be formed between the pixel electrode and the common electrode. However, since it is difficult to form an electric field in a region immediately above the pixel electrode, there is a problem that a display aperture ratio is low. On the other hand, in the FFS mode, it is possible to form an electric field also in the region directly above the pixel electrode. Therefore, a bright display with a high aperture ratio can be performed.

  In a horizontal electric field type liquid crystal device, an interlayer insulating film is provided between a pixel electrode and a common electrode, and this interlayer insulating layer functions as an overcoat layer. If this interlayer insulating layer is formed as an entire overcoat layer, the cell gap in the vicinity of the inner periphery of the sealing material can be maintained equal to the cell gap in the display region, and the display region can be widened and the frame region can be narrowed. . However, when the interlayer insulating film is the entire overcoat layer, the sealing agent and the interlayer insulating film are in contact with each other in the vicinity of the liquid crystal inlet, and a reaction product (for example, when the sealing agent is irradiated with light and cured) An ionic substance) may be generated, and this reaction product may enter the display region and cause display defects.

  With respect to the lateral electric field type liquid crystal device in which such a phenomenon is considered, if an auxiliary film is provided for the liquid crystal injection port according to the present invention, the reaction product enters the display region through the interlayer insulating film as the entire overcoat layer. Can be prevented and display failure can be prevented.

  Next, an electronic apparatus according to the present invention includes the liquid crystal device having the above-described configuration. In the liquid crystal device according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent display defects such as display unevenness in the vicinity of the liquid crystal injection port. Therefore, in the electronic device according to the present invention using the liquid crystal device, the liquid crystal injection of the liquid crystal device is also possible. It is possible to prevent display failure from occurring in the local area corresponding to the entrance. As this type of electronic device, a mobile phone, a portable information terminal, a liquid crystal television, and the like can be considered.

(First Embodiment of Liquid Crystal Device)
Hereinafter, as an example of a liquid crystal device, an embodiment of the present invention will be described by taking as an example a case where the present invention is applied to an active matrix liquid crystal device capable of color display. In the present embodiment, the present invention is applied to a liquid crystal device using a channel-etched type single-gate polysilicon TFT element as a switching element. In the liquid crystal device according to the present embodiment, an FFS (Fringe Field Switching) mode is adopted as an operation mode. Of course, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. In the drawings used in the following description, the dimensions of a plurality of constituent elements may be shown in different ratios from actual ones in order to easily show the characteristic portions.

  FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional structure of a liquid crystal device according to the present invention. FIG. 2 shows a plan sectional view according to the Z2-Z2 line of FIG. 1 corresponds to a side cross-section according to the Z1-Z1 line of FIG. FIG. 3 shows an enlarged view of the vicinity of one subpixel indicated by the arrow Z3 in FIG. FIG. 4 shows a planar structure according to the Z4-Z4 line of FIG. FIG. 3 corresponds to a cross section according to the Z3-Z3 line of FIG. In FIG. 4, the uppermost alignment film is not shown. In these drawings, the row direction of pixels arranged in a matrix is indicated by a symbol X, and the column direction is indicated by a symbol Y.

  In FIG. 1, the liquid crystal device 1 includes a liquid crystal panel 2 and a lighting device 3. Regarding the liquid crystal device 1, the side on which the arrow A is drawn is the observation side, and the illumination device 3 is disposed on the opposite side to the observation side with respect to the liquid crystal panel 2 and functions as a backlight. The liquid crystal panel 2 has a pair of substrates 5 and 6 bonded together by a rectangular or square and annular sealing material 4 (see FIG. 2). The substrate 5 is an element substrate on which switching elements are formed. The substrate 6 is a color filter substrate on which a color filter is formed. In the present embodiment, the color filter substrate 6 is disposed on the observation side, and the element substrate 5 is disposed on the back as viewed from the observation side.

  The sealing material 4 forms a gap, so-called cell gap G, between the element substrate 5 and the color filter substrate 6. The height of the cell gap G is maintained by a plurality of columnar spacers 7 provided in the liquid crystal panel 2. The columnar spacer 7 is usually formed by patterning a photosensitive resin by photolithography. Instead of using the columnar spacers 7, a method of dispersing a plurality of spherical resin spacers in the liquid crystal panel 2 may be employed.

The sealing material 4 has a liquid crystal injection port 8 in a part thereof, and liquid crystal as an electro-optical material is injected between the element substrate 5 and the color filter substrate 6 through the liquid crystal injection port 8. The injected liquid crystal forms a liquid crystal layer 9 within the cell gap G. The liquid crystal injection port 8 is sealed with the sealant 10 after the liquid crystal injection is completed. In the present embodiment, the liquid crystal injection port 8 is provided on the one side E ₀ side of the liquid crystal panel 2 in FIG. 2, but the liquid crystal injection port 8 may be provided on the other side E ₁ side or the other side E ₂ side of the liquid crystal panel 2. good. In the present embodiment, a nematic liquid crystal having a negative dielectric anisotropy (so-called negative liquid crystal) is used as the liquid crystal. Instead of this nematic liquid crystal, a nematic liquid crystal having a positive dielectric anisotropy (so-called positive liquid crystal) can also be used.

  The sealant 10 is formed using a photocurable resin, for example, an acrylic resin. An appropriate amount of the sealant 10 is attached to the liquid crystal injection port 8 after completion of the liquid crystal injection operation, and is cured by receiving light irradiation, for example, ultraviolet irradiation after the attachment. This resin is a resin having a property of causing a radical reaction and curing when receiving ultraviolet rays or the like.

  In FIG. 1, the illumination device 3 includes an LED (Light Emitting Diode) 11 as a light source and a flat light guide 12. As the light source, in addition to a point light source such as an LED, a linear light source such as a cold cathode tube can be used. The light guide 12 is formed, for example, by molding a light-transmitting resin as a material. The side surface facing the LED 11 is a light incident surface 12a, and the surface facing the liquid crystal panel 2 is a light emitting surface 12b. is there. A light reflecting film 13 is provided on the back surface of the light guide 12 as viewed from the observation side indicated by the arrow A, if necessary. Moreover, the light-diffusion film 14 is provided in the light-projection surface 12b of the light guide 12 as needed.

  The element substrate 5 includes a first light-transmitting substrate 5a that is rectangular or square when viewed from the direction of the arrow A. The first translucent substrate 5a is made of, for example, translucent glass or translucent plastic. A polarizing plate 15a is attached to the outer surface of the first light transmissive substrate 5a. If necessary, an optical element other than the polarizing plate 15a, for example, a retardation plate can be additionally provided. On the other hand, the gate line 18 and the common line 26 are formed on the inner surface of the first light-transmissive substrate 5a so as to extend in the row direction X in parallel with each other, as shown in FIG. Yes. A plurality of substantially rectangular common electrodes 32 are provided on the substrate 5a between the gate lines 18 adjacent to each other. These common electrodes 32 are formed in a state where a part of the common electrode 32 overlaps the common line 26, whereby the common electrode 32 and the common line 26 are electrically connected.

  On the gate line 18 and the common electrode 32, a gate insulating film 19 which is a planar resin film covering them is formed, and a source line 20 is formed extending in the column direction Y thereon. In FIG. 4, the sub-pixel Px is set in a rectangular region surrounded by the gate line 18 and the source line 20. The common electrode 32 is included in the subpixel Px. In this embodiment, color display is performed with three colors of R (red), G (green), and B (blue), and the sub-pixel Px is a unit pixel corresponding to each color, and the three colors One pixel is constituted by a group of corresponding sub-pixels Px. A display region V is configured by arranging a plurality of sub-pixels Px in a matrix (matrix) as viewed from the direction of arrow A in FIG. In FIG. 1, the dimensions of the sub-pixel Px with respect to the liquid crystal panel 2 are drawn much larger than the actual dimensions in order to easily show the structure inside the sub-pixel Px.

  In FIG. 4, a TFT (Thin Film Transistor) element 21 which is an active element functioning as a switching element is provided in the vicinity of the intersection between the gate line 18 and the source line 20. The TFT element 21 is formed as a channel etch type polysilicon TFT having a bottom gate structure and a single gate structure. 3, the TFT element 21 includes a gate electrode 18a which is a part of the gate line 18, a gate insulating film 19, a semiconductor film 22 formed using polysilicon, a source electrode 24, and a drain electrode 25. And have. The source electrode 24 and the drain electrode 25 are electrode terminals of the TFT element 21 that is a switching element. The source electrode 24 is branched from the source line 20 as shown in the lower right of FIG. Although the TFT element 21 of the present embodiment has a bottom gate structure, it can be a top gate structure.

  In FIG. 3, a passivation film (protective film) 29 which is a planar resin film for covering the TFT element 21 and the source line 20 is provided on the gate insulating film 19. The passivation film 29 is made of, for example, a photosensitive resin. A pixel electrode 34 is provided on the passivation film 29, and an alignment film 35a is provided thereon. In FIG. 4, the alignment film 35a is not shown. In FIG. 3, a through hole 36 is formed inside the passivation film 29 in the upper region of the drain electrode 25 of the TFT element 21, and the pixel electrode 34 and the drain electrode 25 are conductively connected through the through hole 36.

The common electrode 32 and the pixel electrode 34 are formed of a translucent metal oxide such as ITO (Indium Tin Oxide). The passivation film 29 and the gate insulating film 19 function as an interlayer insulating film provided between the common electrode 32 and the pixel electrode 34, respectively, and as an overcoat layer that is a resin film for covering other elements. Function. The passivation film 29 and the gate insulating film 19 are formed of a photocurable resin, for example, an acrylic resin, SiN (silicon nitride), or SiO ₂ (silicon oxide). The alignment film 35a is made of polyimide, for example. Polyimide is a substance having a different photocuring reaction mechanism with respect to acrylic resin, SiN and SiO ₂ .

  As shown in FIG. 4, the pixel electrode 34 is formed in a rectangular planar shape corresponding to the sub-pixel Px, and has a plurality of slits 37 therein. The slit 37 is a groove-like opening that penetrates the pixel electrode 34, and the passivation film 29 that is the lower layer of the pixel electrode 34 can be seen through the slit 37. In addition, the plurality of slits 37 are provided in parallel along the column direction Y while being spaced apart from each other with the upper end inclined to the right side along the row direction X. A band-like pixel electrode 34 a is disposed between the slits 37.

  In the present embodiment, both short sides of the slit 37 are closed, but one of both short sides of the slit 37 can be open. In the open state, each of the plurality of strip-like electrodes 34a is in a cantilever state, and has a comb-like shape as a whole.

In order to be able to form a laterally oblique electric field (that is, a parabolic electric field) for realizing the FFS mode, in FIG. 3, a distance D ₀ along the substrate surface between the strip-like pixel electrode 34a and the common electrode 32 is set. Smaller than the layer thickness D ₁ of the liquid crystal layer 9, that is,
D ₁ > D ₀
Is set to In particular, in the present embodiment, the common electrode 32 is provided in a planar shape (so-called solid shape) in the sub-pixel region Px on the substrate 5a, and therefore D ₀ = 0 (zero). If slits are formed in the common electrode 32 in the same manner as the pixel electrode 34 to form a band-like portion, D ₀ ≠ 0 can be established. By widening the distance between the strip-shaped common electrode thus formed and the strip-shaped pixel electrode 34a,
D ₁ <D ₀
IPS mode can be realized instead of the FFS mode.

  The arrangement configuration of the oblique slits 37 is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 4. For example, the inclination directions of the individual slits 37 are symmetrically arranged in the column direction Y with respect to the center in the longitudinal direction (column direction Y) of the subpixel Px. You can also That is, the upper half of the right half in the sub-pixel Px can be inclined to the right, and the upper half can be inclined to the left in the left half.

In FIG. 1, the gate insulating film 19 and the passivation film 29, each of which is an overcoat layer, are not only provided in a region surrounded by the sealing material 4, but also in a wide region on the substrate 5a beyond the sealing material 4. Is formed as an overcoat layer. The passivation film 29 and the gate insulating film 19 are provided up to the side edge of the substrate 5a with respect to the three sides E ₀ , E ₁ , E ₂ in FIG. There are no edges to the edges. With respect to the side edge portion on the side where the driving IC 49 is mounted, the passivation film 29 and the like are not provided in the region for mounting the driving IC 49 though it exceeds the seal material 4.

  In FIG. 1, the color filter substrate 6 facing the element substrate 5 includes a second light-transmitting substrate 6 a that is rectangular or square when viewed from the direction of arrow A. The second light transmissive substrate 6a is formed of, for example, light transmissive glass, light transmissive plastic, or the like. A polarizing plate 15b is attached to the outer surface of the second light transmissive substrate 6a. If necessary, an optical element other than the polarizing plate 15b, for example, a retardation plate can be additionally provided.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a colored film 40 constituting a color filter is formed on the inner surface of the second light transmissive substrate 6a, and a light shielding film 41 is formed around the colored film 40. Each colored film 40 is formed in a rectangular or square dot shape (that is, an island shape) corresponding to the sub-pixel Px when viewed from the arrow A direction. A plurality of the colored films 40 are arranged in a matrix in the row direction X and the column direction Y when viewed from the arrow A direction. The light shielding film 41 is formed in a lattice shape surrounding the colored films 40.

  Each of the colored films 40 is set to have an optical characteristic that allows one of R (red), G (green), and B (blue) to pass through. The colored films 40 of R, G, and B are viewed from the direction of the arrow A. They are arranged in a predetermined arrangement, for example, a stripe arrangement, a mosaic arrangement, or a delta arrangement. If the stripe arrangement is adopted, the same colors of R, G, and B are arranged in the column direction Y in FIGS. 3 and 4, and R, G, and B are alternately arranged one by one in the row direction X one after another. The optical characteristics of the colored film 40 are not limited to the three colors of R, G, and B, but are set to three colors of C (cyan), M (magenta), and Y (yellow), or other four colors or more. You can also The light shielding film 41 is formed by overlapping colored films 40 of different colors or by using a predetermined material (for example, Cr (chromium)).

  In the case of performing color display using the colored film 40 composed of the three colors R, G, and B as in the present embodiment, 3 corresponding to the three colored films 40 corresponding to the three colors R, G, and B. One pixel is formed by one sub-pixel Px. On the other hand, when monochrome display is performed in black and white or any two colors, one pixel is formed by one sub-pixel Px. An overcoat layer 42 is formed on the coloring film 40 and the light shielding film 41, and an alignment film 35b is formed thereon. The overcoat layer 42 is a resin layer provided in a planar shape to cover other elements in the color filter substrate 6, and this overcoat layer 42 is also an overcoat layer (passivation film 29) on the element substrate 5 side. 1 and the gate insulating film 19, as shown in FIG. 1, it is formed as an entire overcoat layer extending beyond the sealing material 4.

  The colored film 40 is formed, for example, by mixing a pigment or a dye with a photosensitive resin material. The overcoat layer 42 is formed of a photocurable resin, for example, an acrylic resin. The alignment film 35b is made of polyimide. The overcoat layer 42 functions as a protective film that prevents the constituent material of the color filter from being mixed into the liquid crystal and a planarizing film that planarizes the surface of the color filter.

  In FIG. 1, the rubbing direction applied to the alignment film 35a on the element substrate 5 side and the alignment film 35b on the color filter substrate 6 side is a nematic having a negative dielectric anisotropy in the liquid crystal layer 9 as in this embodiment. When the liquid crystal is used, the antiparallel direction is parallel to the column direction Y as shown in FIG. When the liquid crystal layer 9 is formed using nematic liquid crystal having positive dielectric anisotropy, the rubbing direction is an anti-parallel direction parallel to the row direction X. The transmission axes of the polarizing plate 15a on the element substrate 5 side (observation back side) and the polarizing plate 15b on the color filter substrate 6 side (observation side) are perpendicular to each other, and the transmission axis of the polarizing plate 15b on the observation side is The alignment films 35a and 35b are parallel to the rubbing direction, and the transmission axis of the polarizing plate 15a on the back side of the observation is orthogonal to the rubbing direction.

  Next, in FIG. 1, the first translucent substrate 5 a constituting the element substrate 5 has an overhanging portion 45 that projects outward from the color filter substrate 6. A wiring 46 is formed on the surface of the overhanging portion 45 by a photoetching process or the like. A plurality of wirings 46 are formed as viewed from the direction of arrow A, and the plurality of wirings are arranged along the row direction X with a space therebetween. A plurality of external connection terminals 47 are formed along the row direction X so as to be spaced apart from each other at the side edges of the overhanging portion 45. For example, an FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit) substrate is connected to the side end of the overhanging portion 45 provided with these external connection terminals 47.

  The plurality of wirings 46 are formed so as to extend in the column direction Y toward a region surrounded by the sealing material 4. Some of these wirings 46 are directly connected to the source line 20 on the element substrate 5 and function as data lines. Further, another part of the plurality of wirings 46 is formed to extend along the column direction Y along the side edge of the element substrate 5 in the region surrounded by the sealing material 4, and further bent to the row direction X. It is formed as an extended pattern. The bent wiring 46 is directly connected to the gate line 18 on the element substrate 5 and functions as a scanning line.

  A driving IC 49 is mounted on the surface of the overhang portion 45 by a COG (Chip On Glass) technique using an ACF (Anisotropic Conductive Film) 48. The driving IC 49 transmits a data signal to the source line 20 and transmits a scanning signal to the gate line 18. In this embodiment, the driving IC 49 is formed by one IC chip as shown in FIG. The driving IC 49 may be constituted by a plurality of IC chips as necessary. Further, the driving IC 49 may be mounted on a circuit board separate from the liquid crystal panel 2 instead of being mounted on the substrate 5, and the liquid crystal panel 2 and the driving IC 49 may be connected via the FPC board. .

  According to the liquid crystal device 1 configured as described above, transmissive display is performed using the illumination device 3 as a backlight. Specifically, the LED 11 is turned on in FIG. 1, light from the LED 11 is introduced into the light guide 12, and is further emitted as planar light from the light exit surface 12b. This planar light is supplied to the liquid crystal layer 9. In this way, while light is supplied to the liquid crystal layer 9, a predetermined voltage specified by the scanning signal and the data signal is applied between the pixel electrode 34 and the common electrode 32 on the element substrate 5. The orientation of the liquid crystal molecules is controlled for each sub-pixel Px. Hereinafter, this control will be described in detail.

In FIG. 3, a strip-like pixel electrode 34a and a planar common electrode 32 are stacked with an interlayer insulating film (that is, the passivation film 29 and the gate insulating film 19) interposed therebetween. Since the shape of the common electrode 32 is planar, the distance D ₀ along the substrate surface (that is, along the column direction Y) between the strip pixel electrode 34a and the common electrode 32 is zero, and the liquid crystal layer relationship to the layer thickness _{D 1} is _D 1> _{D 0.} When a predetermined voltage is applied between both electrodes in this state, a laterally inclined electric field E is generated between both electrodes in the vicinity of the slit 37. The horizontal oblique electric field E is an electric field that travels obliquely in both the thickness direction (that is, the Z direction) and the lateral direction (that is, the column direction Y) of the liquid crystal layer 9, in other words, a parabolic electric field. The horizontal oblique electric field E controls the orientation of the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer 9 in the horizontal plane of the substrate.

  As a result, the light supplied into the liquid crystal layer 9 is modulated for each sub-pixel Px. When this modulated light passes through the polarizing plate 15 b (see FIG. 1) of the color filter substrate 6, the passage of light is restricted for each sub-pixel Px due to the polarization characteristics of the polarizing plate 15 b, and characters are applied to the surface of the element substrate 5. Images such as numbers, figures, etc. are displayed and are visually recognized from the direction of arrow A. In this case, the orientation of the liquid crystal molecules is not controlled in the vertical (perpendicular to the substrate) plane, but in the lateral (parallel to the substrate) plane. However, even when the viewing angle of the display surface of the liquid crystal panel 2 is inclined, there is no change in the viewing angle of the liquid crystal molecules. For this reason, the FFS mode of this embodiment can obtain a wide viewing angle characteristic.

  By the way, in FIG. 1, each overcoat layer of the gate insulating film 19 and the passivation film 29 constituting the element substrate 5 is an entire overcoat layer extending beyond the sealing material 4 on the substrate 5a. In addition, the colored film 40 and the overcoat layer 42 constituting the color filter substrate 6 are also an entire overcoat layer extending beyond the sealing material 4.

  As described above, the overcoat layer formed on the substrate 5a and the substrate 6a is not the selective overcoat layer but the entire overcoat layer, so that the cell gap G in the vicinity of the inner periphery of the sealant 4 is displayed in the display region V. As a result, the display area V can be set as large as possible within the area surrounded by the sealing material 4. In other words, it is possible to narrow a frame area that is an area around the display area V and cannot contribute to display.

  However, when the overcoat layer (the gate insulating film 19 and the passivation film 29) in the element substrate 5 and the overcoat layer 42 in the color filter substrate 6 are the entire overcoat layers, no measures are taken. As shown in FIG. 11 (c), the overcoat layer 103 extending beyond the sealing material 102 to the outside thereof and the sealing agent 104 for sealing the liquid crystal injection port 106 are in direct contact with each other. There is a possibility that a display defect may occur in the display area near the liquid crystal injection port 106. There may be several causes of this display failure, but the following are possible as major causes.

  That is, the sealant 104 (the sealant 10 in FIG. 1) is formed of a photocurable resin such as an acrylic resin, and the overcoat layer 103 (the overcoat layers 19 and 29 and the overcoat layer 42 in FIG. 1) is also formed. Since they are formed of the same material, the curing reaction of both is generally a radical reaction using light (for example, ultraviolet rays), and the reaction mechanisms of both are close. For this reason, when the sealing agent 104 is irradiated with light to cure the sealing agent 104, the sealing agent 104 and the overcoat layer 103 react with each other to generate a reaction product such as an ionic substance. Then, the reaction product enters the display region V (see FIG. 1) through the overcoat layer 103, and as a result, in the display region V in the vicinity of the liquid crystal injection port 106 (the liquid crystal injection port 8 in FIG. 1). There is a risk of display failure, for example, display unevenness. More specifically, it is considered that the reaction product is dissolved in the liquid crystal and the alignment film is adsorbed to cause alignment failure, resulting in display unevenness.

  In the present embodiment, the following configuration is employed in order to prevent the occurrence of such display defects. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 which is a plan view thereof, an auxiliary film 51 a is provided on the overcoat layer (passivation film 29) at the liquid crystal injection port 8 in the element substrate 5. An auxiliary film 51 b is provided on the overcoat layer 42 at the injection port 8. The auxiliary film 51a on the element substrate 5 is formed by the same process and the same material (polyimide in this embodiment) when the alignment film 35a in the element substrate 5 is formed. The auxiliary film 51b on the color filter substrate 6 is formed by the same process and the same material (polyimide in this embodiment) when the alignment film 35b in the color filter substrate 6 is formed.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the auxiliary film 51a on the element substrate 5 side has a height in the entire width direction Dw and in the entire liquid crystal inflow direction Dr with respect to the liquid crystal injection port 8 (see supplementary figure (a)). It is provided over part of the direction Dh (see FIG. 1). The auxiliary film 51 b on the color filter substrate 6 side is also formed in the same state with respect to the liquid crystal injection port 8.

  By providing the auxiliary films 51a and 51b in the entire width direction Dw of the liquid crystal injection port 8, there is no gap between the sealing material 4 forming the liquid crystal injection port 8 and the auxiliary films 51a and 51b. It has become. By providing the auxiliary films 51a and 51b in a part of the height direction Dh of the liquid crystal injection port 8 in FIG. 1, it is ensured that the liquid crystal injection process performed through the liquid crystal injection port 8 can be performed without any trouble.

  Since the auxiliary film 51a on the element substrate 5 side is provided in the entire area of the liquid crystal inlet 8 in the liquid crystal inflow direction Dr, the auxiliary film 51a is formed on almost the entire contact surface between the overcoat layer (passivation film 29) and the sealant 10. This prevents the overcoat layer 29 and the sealant 10 from coming into direct contact with each other. Further, by providing the auxiliary film 51b on the color filter substrate 6 side in the whole area of the liquid crystal inlet 8 in the liquid crystal inflow direction Dr, the overcoat layer 42 and the sealant 10 are prevented from coming into direct contact with each other. Yes.

  As described above, the auxiliary film 51a is interposed between the sealant 10 and the overcoat layer 29, and the auxiliary film 51b is interposed between the sealant 10 and the overcoat layer 42. And the overcoat layers 29 and 42 are prevented from coming into direct contact with each other because the curing reaction mechanism is prevented by a material different from them, so that the reaction between the sealant 10 and the overcoat layers 29 and 42 can be avoided. .

  In the present embodiment, the auxiliary films 51a and 51b are formed of polyimide, which is the same material as the alignment films 35a and 35b, by the same process as those forming processes. Therefore, a dedicated process only for forming the auxiliary film. In addition, no material is required, and it is possible to avoid an increase in cost.

In this embodiment, the auxiliary films 51a and 51b are formed of polyimide which is a material for the alignment film. This polyimide is a material having a property of adsorbing an ionic substance generated when light is applied to an acrylic resin. In this way, if the auxiliary films 51a and 51b are formed of a material that easily adsorbs the ionic substance, it is advantageous because the entry of the ionic substance into the display region can be more reliably prevented. Note that SiN, SiO ₂ or the like generally used as an insulating film is also conceivable as a material that easily adsorbs ionic substances.

Further, as the auxiliary films 51a and 51b, it is also convenient to use a material having the property of attenuating the light amount and allowing the light to pass therethrough. The reason is that when the sealant 10 is irradiated with light to cure the sealant 10, the amount of light applied to the overcoat layers 29 and 42 is reduced by the action of the auxiliary films 51a and 51b. This is because the amount of reaction products generated can be reduced. It is considered that polyimide, SiN, SiO ₂ or the like can achieve the function of attenuating the amount of light to some extent.

  As shown in FIG. 2, between the alignment film 35a and the auxiliary film 51a, a gap K, that is, a portion where there is no polyimide as a constituent material of the alignment film 35a and the auxiliary film 51a is provided. If the alignment film 35a and the auxiliary film 51a are connected, a reaction product such as an ionic substance may flow into the display region due to a chromatographic phenomenon. On the other hand, if the gap K is provided between the alignment film 35a and the auxiliary film 51a, the reaction product can be reliably prevented from flowing into the display region. As can be seen from FIG. 1, a gap K is also provided in the color filter substrate 6 between the alignment film 35b and the auxiliary film 51b.

(Second Embodiment of Liquid Crystal Device)
FIG. 6 shows a second embodiment of the liquid crystal device according to the present invention. The second embodiment is different from the previous embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4 in that a reaction product generated when the sealant 10 is cured by light irradiation, for example, an ionic substance is displayed. This is to modify the auxiliary membrane to prevent adverse effects. Since the overall configuration of the liquid crystal device according to the second embodiment is the same as the configuration shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, detailed description of the overall configuration is omitted.

  In the liquid crystal device 1 or the liquid crystal panel 2 according to this embodiment, the auxiliary film 151a on the element substrate 5 side and the auxiliary film 151b on the color filter substrate 6 side shown in FIG. 6B are both shown in FIG. As described above, the liquid crystal injection port 8 is provided in the entire width direction Dw, in a partial region in the liquid crystal inflow direction Dr, and in a part in the height direction Dh. In the previous embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the auxiliary films 51 a and 51 b are provided over the entire area in the liquid crystal inflow direction Dr, so that the auxiliary films 51 a and 51 b are overcoated layers 29 and 42, the sealing agent 10, and the like. However, in this embodiment, the auxiliary films 151 a and 151 b are provided on the overcoat layers 29 and 42 at positions away from the sealant 10.

  In the present embodiment, the auxiliary films 151 a and 151 b are provided over the entire width at the corner of the portion where the liquid crystal injection port 8 expands toward the display region V. However, the auxiliary films 151 a and 151 b can be provided not in the expanded portion but in the intermediate portion of the liquid crystal injection port 8.

  When the overcoat layers 29 and 42 are full surface overcoat layers as in this embodiment, the reaction product is caused by the direct contact between the sealing agent 10 and the overcoat layers 29 and 42. Due to the occurrence of (for example, an ionic substance), display defects such as display unevenness may occur in the display area near the liquid crystal inlet 8. However, in this case, even if a reaction product is generated, if it does not proceed to the display area V, display failure may not occur.

  In this embodiment, even when a reaction product is generated in the vicinity of the contact portion between the sealant 10 and the overcoat layers 29 and 42 when the sealant 10 is cured by light irradiation, the reaction product is generated. It is adsorbed and trapped on the auxiliary films 151a and 151b and is prevented from entering the display area V. Thereby, it is possible to prevent a display defect from occurring in the vicinity of the liquid crystal injection port 8. In this sense, the auxiliary films 151a and 151b are desirably formed of a material having a property capable of adsorbing a reaction product (for example, an ionic substance), and polyimide that is a material of the alignment films 35a and 35b is practically sufficient. It is a material that can meet that demand.

  The auxiliary film 151a and 151b can be formed using a material different from polyimide, which is the same material as the alignment film, and having a higher adsorbability of the reaction product than polyimide. In this case, the number of steps for forming the auxiliary film increases in addition to the step of forming the alignment film, which may increase the cost. However, the trap capability by adsorption of the reaction product can be enhanced after the cost increase is recognized.

  As in the previous embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the auxiliary films 51a and 51b are formed on the entire surface of the liquid crystal injection port 8 along the liquid crystal inflow direction Dr, thereby preventing the generation of reaction products themselves. However, when the auxiliary films 51a and 51b are provided so as to cover the entire liquid crystal injection port 8, there is no quality defect due to other factors. May cause.

  For example, in FIG. 2, if the auxiliary film 51 a completely sinks under the sealing material 4 due to printing misalignment when forming the alignment film 35 a and the auxiliary film 51 a, the adhesion of the sealing material 4 is significantly impaired. The panel strength of the liquid crystal panel 2 may be reduced. In addition, due to the influence of the wettability of polyimide, which is the material of the alignment film 35a and the auxiliary film 51a, the formation region of the alignment film 35a and the auxiliary film 51a becomes larger after printing, and the alignment film extends to the outer portion of the sealing material 4 as well. If the 35a and the auxiliary film 51a are formed, the polyimide formed outside the sealing material 4 is affected by the external environment (for example, high temperature and high humidity), and the inside of the liquid crystal panel is affected by the chromatographic phenomenon. There is a risk that.

  According to the present embodiment in which the auxiliary films 151a and 151b are provided in a part of the liquid crystal injection port 8, the above-described deterioration of the adhesiveness of the sealing material as described above, and the above-mentioned that the polyimide protrudes outside the sealing material. Such inconveniences can be avoided.

(Third embodiment of liquid crystal device)
FIG. 7 shows a third embodiment of a liquid crystal device according to the present invention. Since the overall configuration of the liquid crystal device according to the third embodiment is the same as the configuration shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

  In this embodiment, the auxiliary film 251b on the color filter substrate 6 side has the same configuration as the auxiliary film 151b in the embodiment shown in FIG. 6B, that is, a part of the liquid crystal inflow direction Dr of the liquid crystal injection port 8, in particular. It is provided at the widening angle portion of the liquid crystal injection port 8. On the other hand, the auxiliary film 251a on the element substrate 5 side is different from the auxiliary film 51a shown in FIG. 1 and is different from the auxiliary film 151a shown in FIG. 6B.

  Specifically, the auxiliary film 251a covers the entire surface of the portion corresponding to the liquid crystal injection port 8 of the overcoat layer 29, and then bends further downward to cover the side edges of the overcoat layers 19 and 29. ing. Thereby, contact with sealing agent 10 and overcoat layers 19 and 29 is prevented almost completely, and generation of a reaction product when hardening sealing agent 10 by light irradiation can be greatly suppressed.

(Other Embodiments Related to Liquid Crystal Device)
The preferred embodiments of the liquid crystal device have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the invention described in the claims.
For example, in each of the above embodiments, the present invention is applied to the FFS mode liquid crystal device, but the present invention can also be applied to an IPS mode liquid crystal device belonging to the same lateral electric field type liquid crystal device. Here, the IPS mode is an operation mode of a type in which a lateral electric field containing almost no oblique component is formed between the pixel electrode and the common electrode, instead of a lateral oblique electric field (that is, a parabolic electric field). This transverse electric field is an electric field that is formed only by an electric field parallel to the substrate surface, with almost no electric field in the thickness direction of the liquid crystal layer. This lateral electric field can be formed by making the distance along the substrate plane between the pixel electrode and the common electrode sufficiently larger than the thickness of the liquid crystal layer.

  In the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to an FFS mode liquid crystal device which is one of the horizontal electric field type liquid crystal devices, but the present invention is applied to a vertical electric field type liquid crystal device represented by a TN liquid crystal device. It can also be applied to. Furthermore, the present invention can be applied to a liquid crystal device having an arbitrary configuration in which a pair of substrates are bonded to each other with a sealing material having a liquid crystal injection port.

  In the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to a liquid crystal device using a TFT element which is a three-terminal switching element as a switching element. However, the present invention is a two-terminal switching element such as a TFD (Thin Film) as the switching element. The present invention can also be applied to a liquid crystal device using a diode (thin film diode) element.

(First Embodiment of Electronic Device)
Hereinafter, embodiments of an electronic apparatus according to the present invention will be described. In addition, this embodiment shows an example of this invention and this invention is not limited to this embodiment.

  FIG. 8 shows an embodiment of an electronic apparatus according to the invention. The electronic device shown here includes a liquid crystal device 201 and a control circuit 202 that controls the liquid crystal device 201. The control circuit 202 includes a display information output source 205, a display information processing circuit 206, a power supply circuit 207, and a timing generator 208. The liquid crystal device 201 includes a liquid crystal panel 203 and a drive circuit 204.

  The display information output source 205 includes a memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), a storage unit such as various disks, a tuning circuit that tunes and outputs a digital image signal, and various clock signals generated by the timing generator 208. The display information processing circuit 206 is supplied with display information such as an image signal in a predetermined format.

  Next, the display information processing circuit 206 includes a number of well-known circuits such as an amplification / inversion circuit, a rotation circuit, a gamma correction circuit, a clamp circuit, and the like, executes processing of input display information, and outputs an image signal. It is supplied to the drive circuit 204 together with the clock signal CLK. Here, the drive circuit 204 is a general term for an inspection circuit and the like together with a scanning line drive circuit and a data line drive circuit. The power supply circuit 207 supplies a predetermined power supply voltage to each of the above components.

  The liquid crystal device 201 can be configured using, for example, the liquid crystal device 1 shown in FIG. In this liquid crystal device 1, the frame area can be narrowed by adopting the entire overcoat layer, and display defects can be prevented from occurring in the vicinity of the liquid crystal inlet by the function of the auxiliary film provided at the liquid crystal inlet. it can. Therefore, in the electronic apparatus of this embodiment using the liquid crystal device 1, a sufficient space can be secured around the liquid crystal device 201, and local display defects can be prevented from occurring in the display unit.

(Second Embodiment of Electronic Device)
FIG. 9 shows a mobile phone which is another embodiment of the electronic apparatus according to the present invention. A cellular phone 210 shown here includes a main body 211 and a display body 212 provided so as to be openable and closable with respect to the main body 211. The main body 211 is provided with an operation button 215 and a transmitter 216. The display body 212 is provided with a display device 213 and a receiver 217. Various displays relating to telephone communication are displayed on the display screen 214 of the display device 213. A control unit for controlling the operation of the display device 213 is stored in the main unit 211 or the display unit 212 as a part of the control unit that controls the entire mobile phone or separately from the control unit. The

  The display device 213 can be configured using, for example, the liquid crystal device 1 shown in FIG. In this liquid crystal device 1, the frame area can be narrowed by adopting the entire overcoat layer, and display defects can be prevented from occurring in the vicinity of the liquid crystal inlet by the function of the auxiliary film provided at the liquid crystal inlet. it can. Therefore, in the mobile phone 210 of this embodiment using the liquid crystal device 1, a sufficient space can be secured around the display device 213, and local display defects can be prevented from occurring in the display unit.

  Note that electronic devices to which the present invention can be applied include personal computers, liquid crystal televisions, viewfinder type or monitor direct-view type video tape recorders, car navigation devices, pagers, electronic devices, in addition to the mobile phones described above. Notebooks, calculators, word processors, workstations, video phones, POS terminals, etc.

It is sectional drawing which shows one Embodiment of the liquid crystal device which concerns on this invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional plan view taken along line Z2-Z2 in FIG. It is a figure which expands and shows the part shown by the arrow Z3 of FIG. It is a top view according to the Z4-Z4 line of FIG. It is a figure which shows the optical axis relationship of an optical element. It is a figure which shows the principal part of other embodiment of the liquid crystal device which concerns on this invention, (a) is plane sectional drawing, (b) has shown side surface sectional drawing. It is side surface sectional drawing which shows the principal part of other embodiment of the liquid crystal device which concerns on this invention. It is a block diagram which shows one Embodiment of the electronic device which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the mobile telephone which is other Embodiment of the electronic device which concerns on this invention. It is side surface sectional drawing which shows the liquid crystal device containing the prior art relevant to this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the conventional liquid crystal device.

Explanation of symbols

1. 1. liquid crystal device 2. Liquid crystal panel 3. lighting device; 4. sealing material; Element substrate,
5a. 5. first translucent substrate; Color filter substrate, 6a. A second translucent substrate,
7). Columnar spacers, 8. Liquid crystal inlet, 9. Liquid crystal layer, 10. Sealant,
15a, 15b. Polarizing plate, 18. A gate line, 18a. Gate electrode,
19. Gate insulating film, 20. Source line, 21. TFT element, 22. Semiconductor film,
24. Source electrode, 25. Drain electrode, 26. Common line,
29. 32. Passivation film (overcoat layer) Common electrode, 34. Pixel electrodes,
34a. Strip pixel electrodes 35a, 35b. Alignment film, 36. Through hole,
37. Slit, 40. Colored film, 41. Light shielding film, 42. Overcoat layer,
45. 46. Overhang part Wiring, 47. Terminal for external connection, 48. ACF,
49. Driving IC,
51a, 51b, 151a, 151b, 251a, 251b. Auxiliary membrane,
201. Liquid crystal device, 203. Liquid crystal panel, 204. Drive circuit,
210. Mobile phone (electronic device), 213. Display device, 214. Display screen,
D ₁ . Liquid crystal layer thickness, D ₀ . Electrode spacing, D _h . Height direction, _Dw . Width direction,
_Dr. E. Liquid crystal inflow direction Lateral oblique electric field; Cell gap; gap,
Px. Sub-pixels, V. Indicated Area

Claims (13)

A pair of substrates bonded together by a sealing material having a liquid crystal inlet and surrounding a display area;
Liquid crystal injected between the pair of substrates through the liquid crystal injection port;
A sealant that seals the liquid crystal injection port;
An overcoat layer provided on at least one of the pair of substrates;
The overcoat layer is formed to extend to the outside of the sealing material,
The sealant and the overcoat layer are formed of a material containing an acrylic resin,
A liquid crystal device, wherein an auxiliary film is provided in the entire width direction of the liquid crystal inlet and in at least a part of the liquid crystal inflow direction in the liquid crystal inlet.   2. The liquid crystal device according to claim 1, wherein a part of the auxiliary film is disposed between at least one of the pair of substrates and the sealing material.   3. The liquid crystal device according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary film is interposed between the sealing agent and the overcoat layer and isolates the overcoat layer from the sealing agent. Liquid crystal device.   4. The liquid crystal device according to claim 3, wherein the auxiliary film is a material having a property of attenuating the amount of light and allowing light to pass therethrough or a material having a property of adsorbing an ionic substance generated when the acrylic resin is irradiated with light. A liquid crystal device formed by:   3. The liquid crystal device according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary film is provided on the overcoat layer at a position away from the sealant.   6. The liquid crystal device according to claim 5, wherein the auxiliary film is made of a material having a property of adsorbing an ionic substance generated when the acrylic resin is irradiated with light.   7. The liquid crystal device according to claim 5, wherein the auxiliary film is provided over a width direction of a portion of the liquid crystal injection port that expands toward a display region. The liquid crystal device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
One of the pair of substrates is provided with a plurality of colored films in the same layer, and the overcoat layer is a planarizing film that covers the colored film.   9. The liquid crystal device according to claim 1, further comprising an alignment film provided on the overcoat layer, wherein the auxiliary film is formed of the same material as the alignment film. A liquid crystal device characterized by the above.   10. The liquid crystal device according to claim 9, wherein a gap is provided between the alignment film and the auxiliary film. A pair of substrates bonded together by a sealing material having a liquid crystal inlet and surrounding a display area;
Liquid crystal injected between the pair of substrates through the liquid crystal injection port;
A sealant that seals the liquid crystal injection port;
An overcoat layer provided on at least one of the pair of substrates;
The overcoat layer extends to the outside of the sealing material,
The sealant and the overcoat layer are formed of a photocurable resin,
A liquid crystal device, wherein an auxiliary film is provided over the liquid crystal injection port in the entire width direction, at least part of the liquid crystal inflow direction, and over part of the height direction. A first substrate and a second substrate bonded to each other by a sealing material having a liquid crystal inlet and surrounding a display area;
Liquid crystal injected between the first substrate and the second substrate through the liquid crystal injection port;
A sealant that seals the liquid crystal injection port;
A switching element provided on the first substrate;
A pixel electrode connected to the electrode terminal of the switching element;
A common electrode provided opposite to the pixel electrode with an insulating film interposed therebetween,
The insulating film extends to the outside of the sealing material,
The sealing agent and the insulating film are formed of a material containing an acrylic resin or a photocurable resin,
A liquid crystal device, wherein an auxiliary film is provided over the liquid crystal injection port in the entire width direction, at least part of the liquid crystal inflow direction, and over part of the height direction.   An electronic apparatus comprising the liquid crystal device according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

Images