JP2009093147A - Transflective liquid crystal display panel and electronic apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a transflective liquid crystal display panel and electronic apparatus, which can prevent an image display performance from being degraded due to not capable of adjusting retardation at each side portion of a retardation layer. <P>SOLUTION: The transflective liquid crystal display panel 10A includes an array substrate AR and a color filter substrate CF, both being provided facing each other via a liquid crystal layer 30. One pixel includes a transmissive area TA and a reflective area RA. The array substrate AR includes a lower electrode 14 and an upper electrode 21, both being formed in each pixel area. The color filter substrate CF includes: a plurality of color filter layers 27R, 27G and 27B, all being arranged on every pixel area; and a retardation layer 29 formed on the reflective area RA on the side of the liquid crystal layer 30. At the region that overlaps in plan view the side portion 29a of the phase difference layer 29, a member that lowers light transmittance is formed, the member being made of the same member as the color filter layer 27B that transmits color light having the lowest luminosity factor among the plurality of color filter layers 27R, 27G and 27B. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a transflective liquid crystal display panel and an electronic apparatus including the transflective liquid crystal display panel.

  As a liquid crystal display panel, a transflective liquid crystal display panel having both transmissive and reflective properties has been developed. This transflective liquid crystal display panel has a transmissive region having a pixel electrode and a reflective region having both a pixel electrode and a reflector in one pixel region. In a dark place, the backlight is turned on and an image is displayed using the transmissive area, and in a bright place, the image is displayed using outside light in the reflective area without turning on the backlight. .

  By the way, many of the conventional liquid crystal display panels are of the so-called vertical electric field mode (for example, TN (Twisted Nematic) type or VA (Virtical Alignment) type) having electrodes on each of a pair of substrates. A so-called lateral electric field mode (for example, FFS (Fringe Field Switching) type or IPS (In-Plane Switching) type) having an electrode only on one of a pair of substrates is also known (Patent Documents below) 1 and 2).

  A transflective type of the FFS type liquid crystal display panel has been developed recently (see Patent Documents 3 and 4 below). Such a conventional FFS type transflective liquid crystal display panel will be described with reference to FIGS. In each drawing used for the description in this specification, each layer and each member are displayed in different scales so that each layer and each member can be recognized on the drawing. However, it is not necessarily displayed in proportion to the actual dimensions.

  FIG. 14 is a plan view of one pixel of a conventional FFS type transflective liquid crystal display panel. 15 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line XIII-XIII in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the conventional FFS type transflective liquid crystal display panel 50 includes an array substrate AR and a color filter substrate CF. In the array substrate AR, a plurality of scanning lines 52 and common wirings 53 are provided in parallel on the surface of the first transparent substrate 51, and a plurality of signal lines 54 are provided in a direction intersecting the scanning lines 52 and common wirings 53. It has been. Among these, the surface of the scanning line 52 and the common wiring 53 is covered with a gate insulating film 55 made of a transparent insulating material, and the signal line 54 is formed on the surface of the gate insulating film 55. A semiconductor layer 56 is formed on the surface of the gate insulating film 55 corresponding to the gate electrode G of the scanning line 52, and the signal line 54 is formed so as to be partially stacked on the semiconductor layer 56. An extended source electrode S and drain electrode D are formed. The gate electrode G, source electrode S and drain electrode D form a TFT (thin film transistor). Further, a protective insulating film 57 is formed so as to cover the entire surface of these substrates.

  The surface of the protective insulating film 57 is covered with an interlayer film 58. The interlayer film 58 has irregularities (not shown) on the surface in the reflection area RA for each pixel, and the other areas have a flat surface. . A reflection plate 60 made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy is formed for each pixel on the surface of the interlayer film 58 in the reflection region RA, and the surface of the reflection plate 60 and the surface of the interlayer film 58 are made of ITO (Indium) for each pixel. A lower electrode 61 made of a transparent conductive material made of Tin Oxide) or IZO (Indium Zinc Oxide) is formed. The lower electrode 61 is electrically connected to the common wiring 53 through a contact hole 62 formed in the protective insulating film 57 and the gate insulating film 55 on the common wiring 53. A contact hole 63 is formed in the interlayer film 58 and the protective insulating film 57 at a position corresponding to the drain electrode D so that the drain electrode D is exposed. In addition, in the region where the lower electrode 61 is formed, the region where the reflection plate 60 is formed constitutes the reflection region RA, and the region where the reflection plate 60 is not formed constitutes the transmission region TA.

  Further, a capacitor insulating film 64 made of a silicon nitride layer or a silicon oxide layer is formed over the surface of each lower electrode 61 and the entire surface of the interlayer film 58, and the drain electrode D is exposed in the capacitor insulating film 64. Thus, the surface wall of the contact hole 63 is covered. An upper electrode 66 made of a transparent conductive material such as ITO or IZO and provided with a plurality of parallel slits 65 is formed on the surface of the capacitor insulating film 64 for each pixel. Both ends of the slit 65 provided in the are closed. The upper electrode 66 is electrically connected to the drain electrode D through the contact hole 63. The surfaces of the upper electrode 66 and the plurality of slits 65 are covered with an alignment film (not shown).

  In the color filter substrate CF, a light shielding layer 68, a color filter layer 69, and a planarizing film 72 are formed on the surface of the second transparent substrate 67. The planarizing film 72 covers the surfaces of the light shielding layer 68 and the color filter layer 69, and a retardation layer 71 is formed on the surface of the planarizing film 72 located in the reflection region RA. An alignment film (not shown) is provided on the surface of the retardation layer 71 and the planarizing film 72. Then, the array substrate AR and the color filter substrate CF are arranged to face each other at a predetermined interval so that the upper electrode 66 and the color filter layer 69 are opposed to each other, and the liquid crystal 70 is sealed between the array substrate AR and the color filter substrate CF. A transflective liquid crystal display panel 50 is configured.

JP 2002-14363 A JP 2002-244158 A JP 2003-344837 A JP 2006-337625 A

  By the way, when displaying using the reflection area RA, the display method is to display the image by causing the external light to enter the panel once, then reflecting by the reflecting plate 60 and exiting from the display surface. Therefore, external light passes through the layer in which the liquid crystal 70 is sealed twice. Therefore, in the transflective liquid crystal display panel 50 shown in the above prior art, the phase difference generated between the case where the display is performed using the transmission area TA and the case where the display is performed using the reflection area RA is adjusted. Therefore, a retardation layer 71 is formed.

  Specifically, in the state where the retardation (phase difference) of the liquid crystal 70 in the transmission region TA is set to ½ wavelength, the thickness of the retardation layer 71 is set so that the retardation of the liquid crystal 70 in the reflection region RA becomes ¼ wavelength. The thickness is adjusted. The retardation of the retardation layer 71 is ½ wavelength. In this way, the retardation is uniform (= 1/2 wavelength) between the light passing through the transmissive area TA and the external light entering and exiting the reflective area RA, and the transmissive area TA and the reflective area RA are displayed when displaying. Whichever is used, it is possible to perform display with good display characteristics.

  However, the retardation layer 71 of the above-described transflective liquid crystal display panel 50 is usually formed using a photolithography method or the like. Therefore, the side end surface 71a is affected by the formation accuracy in the patterning step, and is not necessarily perpendicular to the formation surface, but has a slightly inclined taper shape (see FIG. 15). When the side end surface 71a of the phase difference layer 71 is tapered in this way, the thickness of the side end surface 71a changes, and the phase difference value of the portion changes, and a desired phase difference value is obtained. As a result, there is a problem in that light leakage occurs near the boundary between the transmission area TA and the reflection area RA, and the display characteristics deteriorate. It should be noted that such a decrease in display characteristics similarly occurs in the vertical electric field mode other than the horizontal electric field mode.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to solve at least a part of the problems described above, and the invention can be implemented as the following forms or application examples.

  Application Example 1 A transflective liquid crystal display panel according to this application example includes a first substrate and a second substrate that are disposed to face each other with a liquid crystal layer interposed therebetween, and includes a transmission region and a reflection region in one pixel. In the transflective liquid crystal display panel, the first substrate has a plurality of pixel regions, and the second substrate has a plurality of color filter layers arranged for each of the pixel regions, and a reflection region. Correspondingly, comprising: a retardation layer formed on the liquid crystal layer side; and a member for reducing light transmittance provided in a region overlapping the side edge of the retardation layer in plan view. To do.

  It is difficult to control the thickness of the side edge of the retardation layer. Therefore, it is difficult to adjust the retardation (phase difference) at the side end. According to this configuration, in the second substrate, the member that reduces the light transmittance is provided in a region that overlaps the side edge of the retardation layer in plan view. Therefore, display defects such as light leakage due to the retardation being deviated from the target value are less noticeable by the member that reduces the light transmittance. In other words, it is possible to provide a transflective liquid crystal display panel in which display defects due to retardation fluctuations are not noticeable.

Application Example 2 In the transflective liquid crystal display panel according to the application example, the member that reduces the light transmittance is a color filter other than the color filter layer that transmits the color light having the highest visibility among the color filter layers. It is preferable to consist of the member which comprises a layer.
According to this configuration, it is possible to provide a member that reduces the light transmittance by making use of the configuration of the color filter layers of a plurality of colors without requiring a new member configuration.

Application Example 3 In the transflective liquid crystal display panel according to the application example described above, it overlaps in plan view with a side end portion of the retardation layer in a pixel region in which a color filter layer that transmits the color light having the highest visibility is formed. In the region, a member constituting another color filter layer may be formed so as to overlap the color filter layer.
According to this configuration, the member that reduces the light transmittance is configured by superimposing the color filter layer of another color on the color filter layer that transmits the color light having the highest visibility. In other words, in a pixel region having a color filter layer that transmits the color light with the highest visibility, where the deterioration of display characteristics is most noticeable, the light transmittance is reduced corresponding to the side edge of the retardation layer where retardation is difficult to adjust. By disposing the member to be used, it is possible to suppress the deterioration of display characteristics. In other words, it is possible to provide a transflective liquid crystal display panel with a simpler structure and better appearance.

Application Example 4 In the transflective liquid crystal display panel according to the application example, the second substrate further includes a light shielding layer that defines the pixel region in plan view, and the member that reduces the light transmittance is the light shielding material. It consists of the member which comprises a layer, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.
According to this configuration, light leakage generated at the side edge portion of the retardation layer is completely shielded by the light shielding layer, so that display defects due to difficulty in adjusting the retardation are almost invisible. Thus, it is possible to almost completely suppress the deterioration of display characteristics.

Application Example 5 In the transflective liquid crystal display panel of the above application example, the color filter layer is formed in a transmissive region side color filter layer formed in the transmissive region of one pixel region and in the reflective region. A reflection region side color filter layer having the same color component as the transmission region side color filter layer and having a light color density lower than that of the transmission region side color filter layer, and reducing the light transmittance May be formed of a member in which the transmission region side color filter layer and the reflection region side color filter layer are superimposed.
According to this configuration, a bright reflective display can be obtained by arranging a color filter layer having a lighter color density than the transmissive region in the reflective region of the second substrate, and the retardation can be adjusted at the side edge of the retardation layer. It is possible to provide a transflective liquid crystal display panel in which the deterioration of display characteristics due to the difficulty of the above is suppressed.

Application Example 6 In the transflective liquid crystal display panel of the above application example, when the thickness of the liquid crystal layer in the transmission region is L1, and the thickness of the liquid crystal layer in the reflection region is L2, the following relationship is established. Thus, it is preferable that the thickness of the retardation layer is set.
L2 = (1/2) L1
According to this configuration, the thickness of the liquid crystal layer is adjusted by the retardation layer, and the thickness L2 of the liquid crystal layer in the reflective region is adjusted to be ½ of the thickness L1 of the liquid crystal layer in the transmissive region. For example, it is not necessary to form a transparent resin layer or the like for adjusting the thickness of the liquid crystal layer. In addition, since the light passing through the transmission region and the external light incident on the reflection region and reflected and emitted again pass through the liquid crystal layer at the same distance, the retardation is uniform between the transmission region and the reflection region. In the case of display using any of the transmission region and the reflection region, it is possible to perform display with good display characteristics.

Application Example 7 In the transflective liquid crystal display panel according to the application example, the first substrate includes a first electrode and a second electrode formed over the transmission region and the reflection region for each pixel region. And the liquid crystal layer may be driven by a lateral electric field generated between the first electrode and the second electrode.
According to this configuration, since the liquid crystal layer is driven by a lateral electric field method, a transflective liquid crystal having good display quality and a wide viewing angle characteristic in the case of display using any of the transmissive region and the reflective region. A display panel can be provided.

  Application Example 8 An electronic apparatus according to this application example includes the transflective liquid crystal display panel according to the application example described above.

  According to this configuration, by providing the transflective liquid crystal display panel according to the application example described above, it is possible to provide an electronic device capable of performing good display in both transmissive display and reflective display. Examples of such an electronic device include a small information terminal device such as a mobile phone that is assumed to be used outdoors.

  Hereinafter, the best embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiment described below exemplifies an FFS transflective liquid crystal display panel as a transflective liquid crystal display panel and an electronic apparatus for embodying the technical idea of the present invention. Is not intended to be specified as the FFS type transflective liquid crystal display panel, but other embodiments included in the scope of claims, other lateral electric field modes (for example, IPS type) and longitudinal direction The present invention can be equally applied to an electric field mode transflective liquid crystal display panel.

  FIG. 1 is a plan view of three pixels shown through the color filter substrate of the FFS type transflective liquid crystal display panel according to the first embodiment. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the state of the color filter layer of the transflective liquid crystal display panel of Example 1. FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 2 of the FFS type transflective liquid crystal display panel according to the second embodiment. FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a state of the color filter layer of the transflective liquid crystal display panel according to the second embodiment. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 2 of the FFS type transflective liquid crystal display panel according to the third embodiment. FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a state of the light shielding layer of the transflective liquid crystal display panel of Example 3. FIG. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 2 of the FFS type transflective liquid crystal display panel according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the state of the color filter layer of the transflective liquid crystal display panel of Example 4. FIG. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 2 of an FFS type transflective liquid crystal display panel according to a modification. FIG. 11 is a plan view illustrating a pixel region of a longitudinal electric field mode transflective liquid crystal display panel according to the fifth embodiment. 12A is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 11, and FIG. 12B is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. FIG. 13A is a diagram showing a personal computer as an electronic device, and FIG. 13B is a diagram showing a portable telephone as the electronic device. 3, 5, 7, and 9, only the scanning lines 12 and the signal lines 17 are illustrated among various wirings formed on the array substrate AR, and the other wirings are simplified in illustration. Therefore, it is omitted.

  The configuration of the FFS-type transflective liquid crystal display panel 10A according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the array substrate AR as the first substrate of the FFS type transflective liquid crystal display panel 10A according to the first embodiment is formed on, for example, Mo / Al on the surface of a transparent substrate 11 made of a glass substrate or the like. A plurality of scanning lines 12 composed of the two-layer wiring are formed so as to be parallel to each other. A common wiring 13 made of the same material as the scanning line 12 is formed along the scanning line 12.

  Next, a reflector R made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy is formed in a region corresponding to a reflective region RA described later. The reflecting plate R has an uneven surface, but is simplified and flat in FIG. A lower electrode 14 is formed in each region (pixel region) surrounded by the scanning line 12 and the common wiring 13 as a first electrode made of a transparent conductive material after film formation of, for example, ITO or IZO. . The lower electrode 14 is disposed so as to overlap the common wiring 13 and the reflector R, and is electrically connected to the common wiring 13, but is not connected to the scanning line 12 or the gate electrode G, and serves as a common electrode. Works.

  A gate insulating film 15 made of a transparent insulating material such as silicon nitride or silicon oxide is coated over the entire surface of the transparent substrate 11 on which the scanning lines 12, the common wirings 13, the reflector R, and the lower electrode 14 are formed. ing. Further, a semiconductor layer 16 made of, for example, an amorphous silicon (hereinafter referred to as “a-Si”) layer is formed in the TFT formation region on the surface of the gate insulating film 15. The region of the scanning line 12 at the position where the semiconductor layer 16 is formed forms the gate electrode G of the TFT.

  Further, on the surface of the gate insulating film 15, a signal line 17 and a drain electrode D including a source electrode S made of a conductive layer having a three-layer structure of, for example, Mo / Al / Mo are formed. Both the source electrode S portion and the drain electrode D portion of the signal line 17 partially overlap the surface of the semiconductor layer 16. Further, the entire surface of the substrate is covered with a protective insulating film (also referred to as a passivation film) 18 made of a transparent insulating material such as silicon nitride or silicon oxide, and the protective insulating film 18 at a position corresponding to the drain electrode D is covered with the protective insulating film 18. A contact hole 19 is formed.

  A transparent conductive material such as ITO or IZO is formed on the protective insulating film 18 in a region (hereinafter referred to as a pixel region) surrounded by the scanning lines 12 and the signal lines 17 so that the pattern shown in FIG. An upper electrode 21 is formed as a second electrode. The upper electrode 21 has a plurality of slits 20 and is electrically connected to the drain electrode D through the contact hole 19. For this reason, the upper electrode 21 functions as a pixel electrode. Furthermore, a predetermined alignment film 35 is formed over the entire surface of the substrate.

  The upper electrode 21 having the slits 20 preferably has an open end 20a at one end on the signal line 17 side of the slit 20 and a closed end 20b so that the upper electrode 21 has a comb shape in plan view for each pixel region. It has become. Thereby, the opening degree on the open end 20a side is improved, and brighter display can be performed. In the first embodiment, one end of the slit 20 is shown as the open end 20a. However, the both ends may be closed.

The color filter substrate CF as the second substrate has a light shielding layer 26 on the surface of the transparent substrate 25 made of a glass substrate or the like so as to cover the positions corresponding to the scanning lines 12, the signal lines 17 and the TFTs of the array substrate AR. Is formed. Furthermore, on the surface of the transparent substrate 25 surrounded by the light shielding layer 26, for example, color filter layers 27R, 27G, and 27B (a plurality of colors (three colors) of R (red), G (green), and B (blue)) are provided. Further, a planarizing film 28 made of a transparent resin or the like is formed so as to cover the surfaces of the light shielding layer 26 and the color filter layers 27R, 27G, and 27B. An alignment film 31 is formed so as to cover the planarizing film 28. The alignment film 31 is subjected to an alignment process for defining the direction of the slow axis of the retardation layer 29 described later. A retardation layer 29 is formed on the substrate surface (the surface of the alignment film 31) at a position to be the reflection region RA.
The retardation layer 29 is made of, for example, a polymerizable liquid crystal compound, and is patterned by applying a liquid crystal compound such as a monomer or a polymer and heating it or by irradiating ultraviolet rays or the like. During the polymerization, the direction of the slow axis is determined by the alignment treatment performed on the alignment film 31.
When the reference wavelength λ of light passing through the liquid crystal layer 30 is set to 550 nm, the retardation layer 29 is set so that the retardation (phase difference) is, for example, ½λ. An alignment film 32 is formed over the entire surface of the substrate. The alignment film 32 is subjected to an alignment process for aligning the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer 30 in a predetermined direction. In addition, by adjusting the thickness of the retardation layer 29, the thickness L1 of the liquid crystal layer 30 in the transmission region TA and the thickness L2 of the liquid crystal layer 30 in the reflection region RA have a relationship represented by the following formula (1). ing. By setting the relationship as shown in the following formula (1), when the retardation of the transmission area TA is 1 / 2λ, the retardation of the reflection area RA is 1 / 4λ. Therefore, the distance of the light passing through the liquid crystal layer 30 is uniform in the transmissive area TA and the reflective area RA, so that display with optimum display quality can be performed.
L2 = (1/2) L1 (1)

Finally, the array substrate AR and the color filter substrate CF are opposed so that the upper electrode 21 of the array substrate AR and the color filter layers 27R, 27G, and 27B of the color filter substrate CF are opposed to each other, and liquid crystal is sealed therebetween. The FFS transflective liquid crystal display panel 10A of Example 1 is obtained. A polarizing plate 41 is provided on the surface located outside the transparent substrates 11 and 25.
The transflective liquid crystal display panel 10A according to the first embodiment includes the lower electrode 14 and the upper electrode 21 that are superimposed on the array substrate AR via the gate insulating film 15 and the protective insulating film 18, and the lower electrode 14 The liquid crystal layer 30 is driven by a lateral electric field generated between the upper electrode 21 and the upper electrode 21.

  By the way, when the retardation layer 29 is formed on the reflection region RA as in the transflective liquid crystal display panel 10A of the first embodiment, the portion located in the pixel region among the side edges of the retardation layer 29, that is, The retardation cannot be adjusted at the side end portion 29a located in the boundary area BA between the transmissive area TA and the reflective area RA, and this portion is displayed on the display screen, whereby the display characteristics of the transflective liquid crystal display panel 10A are improved. It will decline. Therefore, the transflective liquid crystal display panel 10A of the first embodiment employs a structure that prevents this deterioration of display characteristics on the color filter substrate CF side.

Here, a specific configuration of the color filter substrate CF will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 in particular. Further, in FIG. 3, the color filter layers 27R, 27G, and 27B are shown with different hatching so that the states of the color filter layers 27R, 27G, and 27B of a plurality of colors are easy to see.
The boundary area BA described here is a band-shaped area extending along the side end portion 29 a of the retardation layer 29. The width includes the taper (inclination) angle of the side end portion 29a of the retardation layer 29, the formation position accuracy of the retardation layer 29 in the color filter substrate CF, and the bonding position accuracy between the color filter substrate CF and the array substrate AR. Is set as appropriate based on the above. In other words, the boundary area BA is an area where the side end portion 29a of the retardation layer 29 may overlap the transmission area TA or the reflection area RA in plan view. The boundary between the transmission area TA and the reflection area RA is defined by one end of the reflection plate R provided on the array substrate AR. Therefore, by design, the boundary area BA is defined as a range that is uniformly allocated in consideration of the positional accuracy of the side end portion 29a of the opposite retardation layer 29 with the one end portion of the reflecting plate R as the center.
Note that the other side end 29b of the retardation layer 29 is positioned so as to overlap with a region where the light shielding layer 26 that partitions and blocks the pixel region is provided in plan view.

  The color filter layers 27R, 27G, and 27B composed of three colors of R (red), G (green), and B (blue) formed on the color filter substrate CF are a plurality of pixel regions formed along the signal line 17. Are formed in a stripe arrangement so that they all display the same color. Of the three color filter layers 27R, 27G, and 27B of R (red), G (green), and B (blue), the color with the lowest light transmittance, that is, the color light with the lowest visibility is transmitted. The color filter layer to be performed is the B (blue) color filter layer 27B. Therefore, in the transflective liquid crystal display panel 10A of the first embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a color filter layer other than the B (blue) color filter layer 27B, that is, an R (red) color filter. An R (red) color filter is formed in a region (boundary region BA portion) overlapping in plan view with the side end portion 29a of the retardation layer 29 in the pixel region where the layer 27R and the G (green) color filter layer 27G are formed. The layer 27R and the G (green) color filter layer 27G are not formed. Instead, the color of B (blue) is aligned with the side end portion 29a of the retardation layer 29 along the side end portion 29a of the retardation layer 29 (boundary region BA) overlapping the side end portion 29a of the retardation layer 29 to be formed later in plan view. A filter layer 27B is formed.

  When the multi-color filter layers 27R, 27G, and 27B have such a configuration, it is easy to change the mask pattern used when the multi-color filter layers 27R, 27G, and 27B are formed by exposure. It is possible to form. In this exposure formation, first, preferably an R (red) color filter layer 27R and a G (green) color filter layer 27G are formed along corresponding pixel regions, and then a B (blue) color filter layer 27B. Can be formed easily without increasing the number of manufacturing steps. Further, in the portion formed at the position corresponding to the boundary area BA of the B (blue) color filter layer 27B, both sides extending in the longitudinal direction have other colors, that is, R (red) or G (green). ) Color filter layers 27R and 27G. If formed in this way, there is no possibility that a region where the color filter layer is not formed exists in the boundary region BA.

With the above-described configuration, in the transflective liquid crystal display panel 10A according to the first embodiment, the region (boundary region BA) that overlaps the side end portion 29a of the retardation layer 29 in the entire pixel region in plan view. Thus, the B (blue) color filter layer 27B having the lowest visibility is formed. That is, in the first embodiment, a member constituting the B (blue) color filter layer 27B is used as a member for reducing the light transmittance. Therefore, even if retardation shift occurs due to the tapered side end portion 29a of the retardation layer 29, the display of this portion is difficult to visually recognize, and the display characteristics are not significantly deteriorated.
In the pixel area where the G (green) color filter layer 27G is formed, the color filter layer formed in the boundary area BA is not limited to B (blue), and R (red) has a corresponding effect. Play.

  In the transflective liquid crystal display panel 10A shown in the first embodiment, the B (blue) color filter is formed in the boundary area BA of the pixel electrode where the R (red) and G (green) color filter layers 27R and 27G are formed. Although what formed only the layer 27B was demonstrated, it is not limited to this structure. Accordingly, a transflective liquid crystal display panel 10B in which the structure of the color filter layer formed in the boundary area BA is changed will be described below as a second embodiment with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. The transflective liquid crystal display panel 10B according to the second embodiment is similar in configuration to the array substrate AR and part of the color filter substrate CF1 as shown in the first embodiment. The same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment are attached to the components, and the description thereof is omitted. Only different configurations will be described. Further, in FIG. 5, the color filter layers 27R, 27G, and 27B are shown with different hatching so that the states of the color filter layers 27R, 27G, and 27B of multiple colors are easy to see.

As shown in FIG. 4, the color filter substrate CF1 of the transflective liquid crystal display panel 10B of Example 2 has a scanning line of the array substrate AR on the inner surface of the transparent substrate 25 having the polarizing plate 41 formed on the outer surface. 12, a light shielding layer 26 is formed so as to cover positions corresponding to the signal lines 17 and the TFTs. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, R (red) and G (green) color filter layers 27R and 27G are formed so as to cover the entire corresponding pixel region. A B (blue) color filter layer 27B is formed so as to cover the entire corresponding pixel area and to cover the boundary area BA in the pixel area where the G (green) color filter layer 27G is formed. In the second embodiment, the side end portion 29a of the retardation layer 29 is positioned so as to overlap with the boundary area BA between the transmission area TA and the reflection area RA in plan view.
Of the B (blue) color filter layer 27B, the portion formed at the side end 29a of the retardation layer 29 in the pixel region where the G (green) color filter layer 27G is formed corresponds to the corresponding G ( The green color filter layer 27G is formed so as to overlap. Since the planarizing film 28 is formed on the color filter layers 27R, 27G, and 27B of a plurality of colors, the retardation of the retardation layer 29 and the liquid crystal layer 30 is adversely affected even if the color filter layers are formed in an overlapping manner. There is no fear.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a retardation layer 29 is formed on the substrate on which the planarizing film 28 is formed at a position corresponding to the reflective region RA via an alignment film 31 that defines the slow axis direction. The color filter substrate CF1 is completed by covering the surface with the alignment film 32. In the same manner as in the first embodiment, the array substrate AR and the color filter substrate CF1 are arranged so that the upper electrode 21 of the array substrate AR and the color filter layers 27R, 27G, and 27B of the color filter substrate CF1 face each other. The liquid crystal is sealed between them so as to complete the transflective liquid crystal display panel 10B of the second embodiment.

As described above, in the transflective liquid crystal display panel 10B according to the second embodiment, a flat surface is formed on the side end portion 29a of the retardation layer 29 in the pixel region in which the G (green) color filter layer 27G is formed. Since the B (blue) color filter layer 27B is formed so as to overlap with the visually overlapping region (boundary region BA), the light transmittance of the region where the color filter layer 27B is superimposed further decreases. Therefore, the region where the color filter layer 27B is superimposed becomes a region with extremely low visibility, and the deterioration of display characteristics due to the fact that the retardation cannot be adjusted at the side end portion 29a of the retardation layer 29 can be further eliminated. become able to. That is, in the second embodiment, as a member for reducing the light transmittance, it is superimposed on a region overlapping with the side end portion 29a of the retardation layer 29 in the pixel region where the G (green) color filter layer 27G is formed in plan view. A member constituting the B (blue) color filter layer 27B is used.
Incidentally, in a region (boundary region BA) that overlaps the side end portion 29a of the phase difference layer 29 of the pixel region in which the R (red) color filter layer 27R and the B (blue) color filter layer 27B are formed in a plan view. A color filter layer of a different color is arranged in an overlapping manner such as a region (boundary region BA) that overlaps the side end portion 29a of the phase difference layer 29 of the pixel region where the G (green) color filter layer 27G is formed in plan view. Not. However, the R (red) color filter layer 27R and the B (blue) color filter layer 27B have low visibility in the first place. Therefore, even if the color filter layers are not superposed, the side edges of the retardation layer 29 are arranged. The display of the area (boundary area BA) that overlaps the portion 29a in plan view is difficult to see and does not cause a big problem.

  Next, as a third embodiment, a transflective liquid crystal display panel 10C in which the above-described boundary area BA is completely shielded will be described with reference to FIGS. The transflective liquid crystal display panel 10C according to the third embodiment has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment since the configuration of the array substrate AR and the configuration of a part of the color filter substrate CF2 are the same as those described in the first embodiment. The same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment are attached to the components, and the description thereof is omitted. Only different configurations will be described. In FIG. 7, the light shielding layer 26 is hatched so that the state of the light shielding layer 26 can be easily seen.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the color filter substrate CF2 of the transflective liquid crystal display panel 10C of Example 3 has a pixel region in a plan view on the inner surface of the transparent substrate 25 provided with the polarizing plate 41 on the outer surface. A light shielding layer 26 is formed as defined. As shown in FIG. 7, the light shielding layer 26 covers a position corresponding to the side end portion 29 a of the retardation layer 29 in addition to a position corresponding to the scanning line 12, the signal line 17, and the TFT. Is formed. In Example 3, the side end portion 29a of the retardation layer 29 is positioned so as to overlap with the boundary area BA between the transmission area TA and the reflection area RA in plan view. The light shielding layer 26 ′ formed in the boundary area BA is formed so as to cross the pixel area, and the width thereof is the taper angle of the side end portion 29 a of the retardation layer 29 as in the first embodiment. And the position accuracy of the phase difference layer 29 in the color filter substrate CF2 and the bonding position accuracy of the color filter substrate CF2 and the array substrate AR are set as appropriate.

  After the light shielding layer 26 including the light shielding layer 26 ′ formed in the boundary area BA is formed as described above, the color filter layers 27 R, 27 G, and 27 B of a plurality of colors, the planarization film 28, the alignment film 31, and the retardation layer 29 are formed. Are sequentially formed, and finally, the alignment film 32 is formed to complete the color filter substrate CF2. In the same manner as in the first embodiment, the array substrate AR and the color filter substrate CF2 are arranged so that the upper electrode 21 of the array substrate AR and the color filter layers 27R, 27G, and 27B of the color filter substrate CF2 face each other. The liquid crystal is sealed between them so that the transflective liquid crystal display panel 10C of Example 3 is completed.

  When the transflective liquid crystal display panel 10C of Example 3 is formed with the above-described configuration, as shown in FIG. 6, a light shielding layer is provided in a region (boundary region BA) overlapping the side end portion 29a of the retardation layer 29 in plan view. Since 26 'is formed, this boundary area BA is completely shielded from light. That is, in Example 3, the side end portion 29a of the retardation layer 29 is positioned so as to overlap with the boundary area BA between the transmission area TA and the reflection area RA in plan view. Therefore, the display of this part is not visually recognized from the outside. Therefore, it is possible to almost completely suppress the deterioration of the display characteristics due to the difficulty in adjusting the retardation at the side end portion 29a of the retardation layer 29.

  In Examples 1 to 3 described above, the color filter layer is formed of three colors of R (red), G (green), and B (blue). It is also possible to form Therefore, in the following, as a fourth embodiment, a transflective liquid crystal display panel 10D using a total of six types of color filter layers will be described with reference to FIGS. The transflective liquid crystal display panel 10D of Example 4 has the same configuration as the array substrate AR and part of the color filter substrate CF3 as described in Example 1 above. The same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment are attached to the components, and the description thereof is omitted. Only different configurations will be described. In FIG. 9, different color filter layers are shown with different hatching.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the color filter layers used in the transflective liquid crystal display panel 10D of Example 4 are the color filter layer 27R1 having a high color density R (red) and the color filter layer 27R1 having a high color density (green). ) Color filter layer 27G1, B (blue) color filter layer 27B1 having a high color density, R (red) color filter layer 27R2 having a low color density, and G (green) color filter layer having a low color density. 27G2 and a B (blue) color filter layer 27B2 having a low color density. Among these color filter layers, R (red), G (green), and B (blue) color filter layers 27R1, 27G1, and 27B1 having a high color density are formed at positions corresponding to the transmission area TA in the pixel area. The R (red), G (green), and B (blue) color filter layers 27R2, 27G2, and 27B2 having low color densities are formed at positions corresponding to the reflection region RA in the pixel region. Is. These color filter layers are formed for each pixel region in pairs of the same color components.

  In this way, two color filter layers (27R1 and 27R2, 27G1 and 27G2, and 27B1 and 27B2) having the same color component and different color densities are formed in the transmission area TA and the reflection area RA of one pixel area. This is because the display method in the reflection area RA is such that external light is once incident on the transflective liquid crystal display panel 10D, reflected by the reflector R, and emitted to the display screen. That is, external light used for display in the reflective area RA passes through the color filter layers (27R2, 27G2, 27B2) a total of two times when incident on and emitted from the transflective liquid crystal display panel 10D. For this reason, for example, when the same color filter layer is used for the transmission area TA and the reflection area RA, the display using the reflection area RA is darker than the display using the transmission area TA. Will be displayed. Therefore, in Example 4, the color filter layer formed at a position corresponding to the reflection area RA has a low color density, and the color filter layer formed at a position corresponding to the transmission area TA has a high color density. It is said. The color density of the color filter layers 27R2, 27G2, and 27B2 formed at the position corresponding to the reflection area RA is approximately the color density of the color filter layers 27R1, 27G1, and 27B1 formed at the position corresponding to the transmission area TA. A half is preferable because the contrast is constant regardless of the display method.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the color filter substrate CF3 of the transflective liquid crystal display panel 10D of Example 4 has a scanning line of the array substrate AR on the inner surface of the transparent substrate 25 having the polarizing plate 41 formed on the outer surface. 12, the plurality of color filter layers 27R1, 27G1, 27B1, 27R2, 27G2, and 27B2 are formed with the light shielding layer 26 formed so as to cover the positions corresponding to the signal lines 17 and the TFTs. As a method of forming the plurality of color filter layers 27R1, 27G1, 27B1, 27R2, 27G2, and 27B2, first, the three color filter layers 27R1, 27G1, and 27B1 having a high color density are covered with the transmission area TA and the boundary area BA. Next, the other three color filter layers 27R2, 27G2, and 27B2 having a low color density are formed so as to cover the reflection region RA and the boundary region BA. By forming the plurality of color filter layers 27R1, 27G1, 27B1, 27R2, 27G2, and 27B2 in this way, the color components are the same and the color densities are different in the boundary area BA in the pixel area as shown in FIG. Two color filter layers (27R1 and 27R2, 27G1 and 27G2, 27B1 and 27B2) are superposed. Thereafter, the planarization film 28, the alignment film 31 and the retardation layer 29 are sequentially formed, and finally the alignment film 32 is formed to complete the color filter substrate CF3. In the same manner as in the first embodiment, the array substrate AR is arranged so that the upper electrode 21 of the array substrate AR and the color filter layers 27R1, 27G1, 27B1, 27R2, 27G2, and 27B2 of the color filter substrate CF3 face each other. The liquid crystal display panel 10D of Example 4 is completed by facing the color filter substrate CF3 and enclosing the liquid crystal therebetween.

  As described above, the region (boundary region BA) that overlaps the side end portion 29a of the retardation layer 29 of the transflective liquid crystal display panel 10D of Embodiment 4 in plan view always has the same color component and color density. Since two different color filter layers (27R1 and 27R2, 27G1 and 27G2, and 27B1 and 27B2) are arranged in an overlapping manner, the light transmittance of this portion is significantly reduced. That is, in Example 4, as a member for reducing the light transmittance, a member in which two color filter layers having the same color component and different color densities formed in the transmission region TA and the reflection region RA are superimposed is used. is doing. Accordingly, since the visibility of the boundary area BA is lowered, the light transmitted through the side end portion 29a of the retardation layer 29 is hardly displayed on the display screen. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a decrease in display characteristics due to the side end portion 29a of the retardation layer 29 where it is difficult to adjust the retardation.

  By the way, the structure of the array substrate AR shown in the first to fourth embodiments is not limited. Therefore, as a modification, an example of a transflective liquid crystal display panel in which the structure of the array substrate AR is changed will be described below with reference to FIG. Although the modification shown in FIG. 10 is described in a form corresponding to FIG. 2 of the first embodiment, it can be modified in all the embodiments described above, and in particular, the transmission area TA and the reflection area in the pixel area. The illustration of the structure of the boundary portion with RA is omitted. The same components as those described in the first to fourth embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 10, in the array substrate AR1 of the transflective liquid crystal display panel 10E according to the modification, for example, a plurality of scanning lines 12 and a plurality of common wirings 13 are parallel to each other on the surface of a transparent substrate 11 made of a glass substrate or the like. It is formed to become. A gate insulating film 15 is covered over the entire surface of the transparent substrate 11 on which the scanning lines 12 and the common wirings 13 are formed. Further, a semiconductor layer 16 is formed in the TFT formation region on the surface of the gate insulating film 15. The region of the scanning line 12 at the position where the semiconductor layer 16 is formed forms the gate electrode G of the TFT.

  A signal line 17 including a source electrode S and a drain electrode D are formed on the surface of the gate insulating film 15. Both the source electrode S and the drain electrode D partially overlap the surface of the semiconductor layer 16. Further, the entire surface of the substrate is covered with a protective insulating film 18, and an interlayer film 33 made of a transparent insulating material is formed on the protective insulating film 18. The interlayer film 33 has irregularities (not shown) on the surface in the reflection area RA for each pixel, and the other areas including the transmission area TA have a flat surface.

  Further, a contact hole 39 is provided in the gate insulating film 15, the protective insulating film 18 and the interlayer film 33 covering a part of the common wiring 13. A reflection plate R is formed for each pixel region on the surface of the interlayer film 33 in the reflection region RA, and a lower electrode 14 is formed on the surface of the reflection plate R and the surface of the interlayer film 33 for each pixel region. ing. The lower electrode 14 is electrically connected to the common wiring 13 through a contact hole 39. Therefore, the lower electrode 14 acts as a common electrode. A contact hole 19 is formed in the interlayer film 33 and the protective insulating film 18 at a position corresponding to the drain electrode D so that the drain electrode D is exposed.

  Further, a capacitive insulating film 34 made of a transparent insulating material such as silicon nitride or silicon oxide is formed over the surface of each lower electrode 14 and the entire surface of the interlayer film 33, and the capacitive insulating film 34 is a drain electrode D. The surface wall of the contact hole 19 is covered so that is exposed. The capacitive insulating film 34 is provided to adjust the distance between the lower electrode 14 and the upper electrode 21. An upper electrode 21 having a plurality of slits 20 is formed on the capacitive insulating film 34 so as to have a comb-like shape in plan view. The upper electrode 21 is electrically connected to the drain electrode D through the contact hole 19. Therefore, the upper electrode 21 acts as a pixel electrode. Finally, a predetermined alignment film 35 is formed over the entire surface of the substrate to complete the array substrate AR1.

  As described above, the formation region of the lower electrode 14 and the upper electrode 21 can be increased by forming the interlayer film 33 between the protective insulating film 18 of the array substrate AR1 and the reflector R and the lower electrode 14. It becomes. Accordingly, since the electric field generation region is larger than that in the first embodiment, a bright display with a large aperture can be performed.

  Also, in the transflective liquid crystal display panel 10E of the modified example, the example in which the lower electrode 14 is wired so as to act as the common electrode and the upper electrode 21 as the pixel electrode has been described. The electrode 21 can be connected to the common wiring 13 to be a common electrode, and the lower electrode 14 can be connected to the drain electrode D to be a pixel electrode.

  In the transflective liquid crystal display panels 10A to 10E according to the first to fourth embodiments and the modified examples, all the reflectors R are formed on the array substrate AR side. However, the present invention is not limited to this. A similar transflective liquid crystal display panel can be obtained even if it is formed below the color filter layers of a plurality of colors on the substrate CF. However, in this case, the user visually recognizes the display image from the array substrate AR side.

Next, a transflective liquid crystal display panel of Example 5 will be described with reference to FIGS. The transflective liquid crystal display panel according to the fifth embodiment is displayed in the vertical electric field mode while the first to fourth embodiments are in the horizontal electric field mode (FFS type).
FIG. 11 is a plan view of three pixels shown through the color filter substrate of the transflective liquid crystal display panel of Example 5. 12A is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 11, and FIG. 12B is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. In addition, about the structure similar to the said Example 1, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and detailed description is abbreviate | omitted.

As shown in FIG. 11, the transflective liquid crystal display panel 10F according to the fifth embodiment has a plurality of pixel areas partitioned in a matrix by scanning lines 12 and signal lines 17, and the pixel area is a reflection area RA. It is divided into a transmission area TA.
The pixel region includes a pixel electrode 81 provided across the reflective region RA and the transmissive region TA, and a TFT having the semiconductor layer 16 in which the drain electrode D is electrically connected to the pixel electrode 81.
The pixel electrode 81 is provided with two slits (notches) 81a at positions corresponding to the boundary area BA between the reflection area RA and the transmission area TA. The reflective region RA and the pixel electrode 81 in the transmissive region TA are electrically connected by the portion 81b narrowed by the two slits 81a.
The two slits 81a are provided for controlling the alignment of liquid crystal molecules in the reflective region RA and the transmissive region TA.
The common electrode 82 facing the pixel electrode 81 has a substantially circular projection 83 provided in the vicinity of the center of the reflective area RA and a band-like shape in a plan view provided in the vicinity of the center of the transmission area TA. And a protrusion 84. These protrusions 83 and 84 are provided for controlling the alignment of the liquid crystal molecules in the same manner as the slit 81a. The alignment control of liquid crystal molecules will be described later. The color filter substrate CF4 (see FIG. 12) includes R (red), G (green), B (blue), and three color filter layers corresponding to the pixel regions thus arranged in a matrix. 27R, 27G, and 27B are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 12A, a transflective liquid crystal display panel 10F includes an array substrate AR2 having pixel electrodes 81 and TFTs, a color filter substrate CF4 having common electrodes 82 and a color filter layer 27, and an array. The liquid crystal layer 80 is sandwiched between the substrate AR2 and the color filter substrate CF4.

The array substrate AR2 includes a scanning line 12 (gate electrode G) formed on the transparent substrate 11, a gate insulating film 15 formed so as to cover the scanning line 12, and gate insulation at a position almost immediately above the scanning line 12. A semiconductor layer 16 provided over the film 15.
Further, the source electrode S formed so as to cover the source side of the semiconductor layer 16, the drain electrode D formed so as to cover the drain side of the semiconductor layer 16, and the source electrode S and the drain electrode D are formed so as to cover it. The protective insulating film 18 is provided. These constitute the TFT.
Further, an interlayer film 86 as a planarizing film formed so as to cover the protective insulating film 18, a pixel electrode 81 formed on the interlayer film 86, and an alignment film 35 formed so as to cover the pixel electrode 81, Have
The gate insulating film 15 and the protective insulating film 18 are inorganic insulating films such as silicon oxide, and have light transmittance. The interlayer film 86 is made of, for example, an organic insulating film such as acrylic resin, and similarly has light transmittance.

  The interlayer film 86 has an uneven surface on the liquid crystal layer 80 side in the reflective region RA, and a light-reflective material such as Al is formed to cover the surface to form a reflective plate 87. ing. The pixel electrode 81 made of a transparent conductive material such as ITO is formed so as to cover the reflection plate 87 and is electrically connected to the drain electrode D through the contact hole 19 provided in the interlayer film 86.

The color filter substrate CF4 includes a light shielding layer 26 formed on the transparent substrate 25, a color filter layer 27 formed so as to cover the light shielding layer 26, and a planarization film 28 formed so as to cover the color filter layer 27. And have.
Further, the alignment film 31 formed so as to cover the planarizing film 28, the retardation layer 29 formed on the alignment film 31 at a position corresponding to the reflection region RA, the retardation layer 29, and at least the pixel A common electrode 82 formed to face the electrode 81.
On the common electrode 82 covering the retardation layer 29 in the reflection region RA, the above-described alignment control protrusion 83 is formed. On the common electrode 82 in the transmission region TA, the above-described band-shaped protrusion 84 for controlling the orientation is formed. Further, the alignment film 32 is provided so as to cover these protrusions 83 and 84 and to cover the side facing the liquid crystal layer 80.

The liquid crystal layer 80 has negative dielectric anisotropy, and the alignment films 32 and 35 formed facing the liquid crystal layer 80 are so-called vertical alignment films. Accordingly, in the OFF state in which the driving potential is not applied between the pixel electrode 81 and the common electrode 82 facing each other with the liquid crystal layer 80 interposed therebetween, the liquid crystal molecules are in a state substantially perpendicular to the surfaces of the alignment films 32 and 35. Are aligned (vertically oriented). In the ON state to which the drive potential is applied, the liquid crystal molecules are tilted so as to intersect the electric field direction. Thus, display is performed by controlling the light passing through the liquid crystal layer 80.
The alignment control protrusions 83 and 84 control the alignment so that the liquid crystal molecules vertically aligned in the OFF state are inclined in a predetermined direction when the liquid crystal molecules are in the ON state. In this case, the liquid crystal molecules are inclined radially around the protrusion 83 in the reflection region RA. In the transmissive area TA, the liquid crystal molecules are inclined in different directions with respect to the band-shaped protrusion 84 (in FIG. 11, the liquid crystal molecules are inclined to the left and right with respect to the protrusion 84).

Polarizing plates 41 are provided on the front and back surfaces of the liquid crystal cell composed of the color filter substrate CF4 and the array substrate AR2 with the liquid crystal layer 80 interposed therebetween. The display state in the OFF state is set to white display (normally white) or black display (normally black) depending on whether the optical axis directions of the pair of front and back polarizing plates 41 are the same or substantially orthogonal to each other. be able to. Such a transflective liquid crystal display panel 10F in the vertical electric field mode is called a VA (Virtical Alignment) method.
Also in the transflective liquid crystal display panel 10F, the thickness (distance) L1 of the liquid crystal layer 80 in the transmissive area TA is set so that the distance of light passing through the liquid crystal layer 80 is uniform in the reflective area RA and the transmissive area TA. On the other hand, the thickness (distance) L2 of the liquid crystal layer 80 in the reflection region RA is set to half. In other words, the thickness of the retardation layer 29 is adjusted so that L2 = (1/2) L1. As a result, an optimum display is performed in both the reflective display and the transmissive display.

  The light shielding layer 26 of the color filter substrate CF4 of the transflective liquid crystal display panel 10F is formed not only to divide the pixel area but also to substantially divide the reflective area RA and the transmissive area TA in the pixel area. .

The phase difference layer 29 of the color filter substrate CF4 is formed so that both side end portions 29a and 29b of the phase difference layer 29 overlap with each other in a region where the light shielding layer 26 is disposed. Specifically, at the boundary between the reflective area RA and the transmissive area TA, one side end portion 29a of the retardation layer 29 is located in the boundary area BA where the light shielding layer 26 is provided. That is, the member that decreases the light transmittance in the fifth embodiment is the light shielding layer 26.
The range of the boundary area BA where the light shielding layer 26 is provided is the same as in the first to fourth embodiments. The taper angle at the side end portion 29a, the formation position accuracy of the retardation layer 29 in the color filter substrate CF4, and the color filter substrate CF4. It is necessary to determine at least the accuracy of the position of the junction with the array substrate AR2. The same applies to the other side end portion 29 b of the retardation layer 29.

  As shown in FIG. 12B, the retardation layer 29 is formed so as to straddle the reflection region RA in the plurality of pixel regions. In other words, it is formed in a strip shape across the plurality of reflection regions RA. Therefore, the side edge of the retardation layer 29 does not exist in a region overlapping the light shielding layer 26 provided between the pixel regions in plan view in FIG. Therefore, the retardation in this portion is almost aimed, and display defects such as light leakage do not occur.

In the transflective liquid crystal display panel 10F of the fifth embodiment, both side end portions 29a and 29b of the retardation layer 29 provided in a strip shape in the pixel region both overlap with the region where the light shielding layer 26 is formed in plan view. It is like that. Therefore, even if a display defect such as light leakage caused by the fact that the retardation at the side end portions 29a and 29b cannot be adjusted (the retardation changes), the light shielding layer 26 cannot substantially visually recognize the display. A transflective liquid crystal display panel 10F in which unevenness is inconspicuous is realized.
Note that the configuration of the VA transflective liquid crystal display panel 10F is not limited to this. For example, the orientation control method may be a method in which a slit for orientation control is provided in a predetermined direction in the pixel electrode 81 or the common electrode 82 regardless of the protrusions 83 and 84.
Further, for example, in the process of forming the scanning line 12 on the transparent substrate 11 of the array substrate AR2, a capacitor line may be provided so as to overlap with a part of the pixel electrode 81 in plan view.
Furthermore, in the color filter substrate CF4, the member for reducing the light transmittance provided in the region (boundary region BA) where one side end portion 29a of the retardation layer 29 overlaps in plan view is not limited to the light shielding layer 26. Alternatively, the color filter layer 27B having the lowest visibility, the color filter layers of at least two colors, or the color filter layers having different color densities may be superimposed.

(Electronics)
Next, the electronic apparatus of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 13A is a schematic diagram showing a personal computer as an electronic device, and FIG. 13B is a schematic diagram showing a mobile phone as an electronic device.
The FFS-type transflective liquid crystal display panels 10A to 10E described in the first to fourth embodiments and the modified examples, and the VA-type transflective liquid crystal display panel 10F of the fifth embodiment include a personal computer, a portable phone, and portable information. It can be used for electronic devices such as terminals.
As shown in FIG. 13A, a personal computer 100 as an electronic device has a main body 101 including a keyboard and a display unit 102. The display unit 102 is mounted with any of the transflective liquid crystal display panels 10A to 10F of the above-described embodiments and modifications, and an illumination device that illuminates this from the back side (array substrate side).
As shown in FIG. 13B, a mobile phone 110 as an electronic device includes a main body 111 provided with buttons for input, and a display unit 112 attached to the main body 111 so as to be foldable. have. Similarly, the display unit 112 is mounted with any one of the transflective liquid crystal display panels 10A to 10F according to the above-described embodiments and modifications, and an illumination device that illuminates the panel from the back side (array substrate side). .
Note that the basic configurations of the personal computer 100 and the portable phone 110 are well known to those skilled in the art, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.
According to such a personal computer 100 and mobile phone 110, since a transflective liquid crystal display panel in which display unevenness is not conspicuous is used, it is displayed even if the illuminance changes in the use environment regardless of the indoors. Information can be confirmed properly.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of three pixels shown through the color filter substrate of the FFS type transflective liquid crystal display panel according to the first embodiment. Sectional drawing cut | disconnected by the II-II line | wire of FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a state of a color filter layer of the transflective liquid crystal display panel of Example 1. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 2 of the FFS type transflective liquid crystal display panel according to the second embodiment. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a state of a color filter layer of a transflective liquid crystal display panel of Example 2. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 2 of the FFS type transflective liquid crystal display panel according to the third embodiment. 6 is a plan view showing a state of a light shielding layer of a transflective liquid crystal display panel of Example 3. FIG. Sectional drawing corresponding to FIG. 2 of the FFS type transflective liquid crystal display panel which concerns on Example 4. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a state of a color filter layer of a transflective liquid crystal display panel of Example 4. FIG. Sectional drawing corresponding to FIG. 2 of the FFS type transflective liquid crystal display panel which concerns on a modification. FIG. 6 is a plan view of three pixels shown through a color filter substrate of a transflective liquid crystal display panel of Example 5. (A) is sectional drawing cut | disconnected by the III-III line of FIG. 11, (b) is sectional drawing cut | disconnected by the IV-IV line of FIG. (A) is a schematic diagram showing a personal computer as an electronic device, (b) is a schematic diagram showing a portable telephone as an electronic device. The top view for 1 pixel of the conventional transflective liquid crystal display panel of FFS type. The schematic cross section along the XIII-XIII line of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 10E, 10F: Transflective liquid crystal display panel, 11, 25 ... Transparent substrate, 12 ... Scanning line, 13 ... Common wiring, 14 ... Lower electrode as first electrode, 15 ... Gate insulation Membrane, 16 ... Semiconductor layer, 17 ... Signal line, 18 ... Protective insulating film, 19, 39 ... Contact hole, 20 ... Slit, 20a ... Open end, 20b ... Closed end, 21 ... Upper electrode as second electrode, 26 , 26 '... light shielding layer, 27R, 27G, 27B ... color filter layer, 28 ... flattening film, 29 ... phase difference layer, 29a ... side edge, 30, 80 ... liquid crystal layer, 33, 86 ... interlayer film, 34 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS ... Capacitance insulating film, 41 ... Polarizing plate, 100 ... Personal computer as electronic equipment, 110 ... Portable telephone as electronic equipment, AR, AR1, AR2 ... Array substrate as first substrate, CF, CF1-C F4 ... Color filter substrate as second substrate, R ... Reflector, G ... Gate electrode, S ... Source electrode, D ... Drain electrode, TA ... Transmission region, RA ... Reflection region, BA ... Side edge of retardation layer Boundary area as an area that overlaps in plan view.

Claims (8)

A transflective liquid crystal display panel having a first substrate and a second substrate arranged to face each other via a liquid crystal layer, and having a transmissive region and a reflective region in one pixel,
The first substrate has a plurality of pixel regions,
The second substrate includes a plurality of color filter layers arranged for each pixel region,
A retardation layer formed on the liquid crystal layer side corresponding to the reflective region;
A transflective liquid crystal display panel, comprising: a member for reducing light transmittance provided in a region at least overlapping with a side end portion of the retardation layer in plan view.   The member for reducing the light transmittance is a member constituting a color filter layer other than the color filter layer that transmits the color light having the highest visibility among the color filter layers. Transflective LCD panel.   In a region overlapping the side edge of the retardation layer in a plan view in the pixel region where the color filter layer that transmits the color light having the highest visibility is formed, another color filter layer is superimposed on the color filter layer. The transflective liquid crystal display panel according to claim 2, wherein a member constituting the liquid crystal display is formed. The second substrate further includes a light shielding layer that defines the pixel region in plan view,
2. The transflective liquid crystal display panel according to claim 1, wherein the member for reducing the light transmittance is a member constituting the light shielding layer. The color filter layer has the same color component as the transmissive region side color filter layer formed in the transmissive region of one pixel region and the transmissive region side color filter layer formed in the reflective region, and the transmissive region side color filter layer. A reflective area side color filter layer whose color density is lighter than the area side color filter layer,
2. The transflective liquid crystal display panel according to claim 1, wherein the member for reducing the light transmittance is a member in which the transmission region side color filter layer and the reflection region side color filter layer are superimposed. . When the thickness of the liquid crystal layer in the transmission region is L1, and the thickness of the liquid crystal layer in the reflection region is L2, the thickness of the retardation layer is set so as to satisfy the following relationship. A transflective liquid crystal display panel according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
L2 = (1/2) L1 The first substrate includes a first electrode and a second electrode formed over the transmission region and the reflection region for each pixel region,
The transflective liquid crystal display panel according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the liquid crystal layer is driven by a lateral electric field generated between the first electrode and the second electrode.   An electronic apparatus comprising the transflective liquid crystal display panel according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

Images