JP2010039332A - Liquid crystal device, and electronic device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid crystal device, wherein alignment unevenness caused by a projection part of a columnar spacer in optical alignment treatment is prevented, and to provide an electronic device. <P>SOLUTION: In the liquid crystal device, the columnar spacer 5 is disposed so as to be superimposed on a light-shielding part 53a provided in a grating shape so as to partition a sub pixel SG, and the position of the columnar spacer 5 relative to the light-shielding part 53a is set in a projection direction of a projection part so that the columnar spacer 5 and the projection part of the columnar spacer 5 through irradiation of light are positioned, in a region where the light-shielding part 53a and a protruding part 53b are provided. Alternatively, for the light-shielding part 53a, the width L2 of the light-shielding part 53a in the projection direction of the projection part is set wider than the width L1 of the other light-shielding part 53a along the projection direction so that the columnar spacer 5 and the projection part of the columnar spacer are positioned, in the region where the light-shielding part 53a is provided. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid crystal device including a spacer that holds a gap between a pair of substrates, and an electronic apparatus including the liquid crystal device.

  As the liquid crystal device provided with the spacer, the liquid crystal is sandwiched between a pair of substrates with electrodes arranged opposite to each other, and is fixedly disposed at any position on at least one of the pair of substrates with electrodes. A liquid crystal display device including a spacer and an alignment film subjected to alignment treatment by light irradiation is known (Patent Document 1).

  In the liquid crystal display device, the spacer is formed in a black matrix region which is a non-transmissive region. Since the alignment film is subjected to alignment treatment by light irradiation, alignment unevenness starting from the spacer does not occur as compared with the rubbing method which is one of alignment processing methods.

  On the other hand, a liquid crystal display device is known in which a spacer is disposed at a position displaced from the central portion in the width direction of a light shielding unit (that is, the black matrix region) in which the spacers are arranged in a grid pattern (Patent Document 2).

  In the liquid crystal display device of Patent Document 2, the alignment unevenness starting from the spacer in the rubbing method is called a rubbing shadow, and the position of the spacer is displaced so that the rubbing shadow falls within the region where the light shielding means is provided. Yes. Further, this technical idea is effective even when the photo-alignment treatment is performed because the shadow of the spacer is generated by light irradiation.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-125826 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-218771

  As described in Patent Document 2, rubbing shadows by the rubbing method are generated in the rotation direction of the rubbing roller around which the rubbing member is wound and in the relative movement direction of the rubbing roller and the substrate. On the other hand, the shadow of the spacer in the photo-alignment process differs depending on the alignment process state such as the condition of light irradiation, for example, the type of light source and the irradiation method. Therefore, the way in which the rubbing shadow is generated and the way in which the spacer shadow is generated in the photo-alignment process are not necessarily the same. Therefore, there is a problem that it is necessary to examine an appropriate spacer arrangement in the photo-alignment processing.

  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 liquid crystal device according to this application example includes a first substrate and a second substrate which are arranged to face each other, a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the first substrate and the second substrate, A light-shielding portion that prescribes at least a pixel region in any one of the first substrate and the second substrate; a columnar spacer that holds a distance between the first substrate and the second substrate; An alignment film provided on a side of the first substrate and the second substrate facing the liquid crystal layer and subjected to alignment treatment by light irradiation, and the columnar spacer includes the columnar spacer and the columnar shape formed by the light irradiation. The relative position with respect to the light shielding part is set with respect to the projection direction of the projection part so that the projection part of the spacer is located within the region where the light shielding part is provided.

  According to this configuration, the relative position of the columnar spacer with respect to the light shielding unit is set in the projection direction of the projection unit of the columnar spacer generated by light irradiation in the photo-alignment process. Therefore, even if the projection amount of the columnar spacer projected onto the alignment film has an insufficient amount of light irradiation and there is no or insufficient alignment regulating force of the liquid crystal molecules, the projection unit is surely shielded by the light shielding unit in a plane. . Therefore, it is possible to provide a liquid crystal device in which the alignment unevenness due to the projection portion of the columnar spacer is difficult to be visually recognized.

  Application Example 2 Another liquid crystal device according to this application example includes a first substrate and a second substrate that are arranged to face each other, and a liquid crystal layer that is sandwiched between the first substrate and the second substrate. A light-shielding portion for defining at least a pixel region in a planar manner on either the first substrate or the second substrate; and a columnar spacer for maintaining a distance between the first substrate and the second substrate; An alignment film provided on the first substrate and the second substrate facing the liquid crystal layer and subjected to alignment treatment by light irradiation, and the light shielding portion is formed by the columnar spacer and the light irradiation. The width of the light-shielding part in the projection direction of the projection part is the width of the other light-shielding part along the projection direction so that the projection part of the columnar spacer is located in the region where the light-shielding part is provided. It is characterized by being set wider than.

  According to this structure, the width | variety of the light-shielding part in a projection direction is set widely compared with another part corresponding to the projection part of a columnar spacer. Therefore, even if the projection amount of the columnar spacer projected onto the alignment film is insufficient in the amount of light irradiation and there is no or insufficient alignment regulating force of the liquid crystal molecules, the projection portion expands in the projection direction more than the other portions. The light shielding portion is surely shielded from light. Therefore, it is possible to provide a liquid crystal device in which the alignment unevenness due to the projection portion of the columnar spacer is difficult to be visually recognized.

Application Example 3 In the liquid crystal device according to the application example described above, the pixel area is planarly defined by the light shielding portion provided in a lattice shape, and the width of the light shielding portion is widened in the projection direction of the projection unit Are provided corresponding to the intersections of the light-shielding parts, and may be wider than the width of the light-shielding parts along the projection direction at other intersections.
According to this configuration, the columnar spacers are arranged at the intersections of the light shielding portions provided in a lattice shape, and the width of the light shielding portions is expanded in the projection direction of the projection portions of the columnar spacers. Since the light-shielding portions exist at least in the two intersecting directions, the intersection portion can further reduce the decrease in the aperture ratio of the pixel region due to the expansion of the intersection portion. That is, it is possible to suppress the deterioration of the drive characteristics due to the decrease in the aperture ratio.

Application Example 4 In the liquid crystal device according to the application example described above, the portion where the width of the light-shielding portion is widened in the projection direction of the projection unit may include a region where a switching element for driving and controlling pixels is provided. .
According to this configuration, when a switching element for driving a pixel is provided in the pixel region, the region in which the switching element is provided basically does not contribute to optical alignment control of liquid crystal molecules. If the columnar spacers are arranged so that the projections of the columnar spacers are located in a region that does not contribute to the alignment control, the influence of the alignment unevenness due to the projections of the columnar spacers can be reduced.

Application Example 5 In the liquid crystal device according to the application example, the projection unit includes a main shadow part in which light irradiated to the columnar spacer is shielded by the columnar spacer, and an irradiation angle of the light to the columnar spacer. The columnar spacer is formed relative to the light shielding portion so that the columnar spacer and at least the main shadow portion are located in a region where the light shielding portion is provided. The position is set with respect to the projection direction of the main shadow portion, or the width of the light shielding portion in the projection direction of the main shadow portion is set wider than the width of the other light shielding portions along the projection direction. It is preferable that
According to this configuration, the relative position of the columnar spacer with respect to the light shielding portion is set or the columnar spacer is arranged in the projection direction of the main shadow portion of the columnar spacer in which the alignment film is not irradiated with light in the photoalignment process. The width of the light shielding portion is set wider than that of other portions. In other words, it is possible to prevent the width of the light shielding portion from becoming wider than necessary. That is, it is possible to optimize the width of the light shielding portion while reducing the influence of the alignment unevenness caused by the projection portion of the columnar spacer.

Application Example 6 In the liquid crystal device according to the application example, the projection unit includes a main shadow part in which light irradiated to the columnar spacer is shielded by the columnar spacer, and an irradiation angle of the light to the columnar spacer. The columnar spacer is formed by a distribution or diffraction, and the columnar spacer with respect to the light shielding portion is positioned such that the columnar spacer, the main shadow portion, and the penumbrading portion are located in a region where the light shielding portion is provided. The relative position is set with respect to the projection direction of the main shadow part and the penumbra part, or the width of the light shielding part in the projection direction of the main shadow part and the penumbra part is in the projection direction. It may be set wider than the width of the other light shielding portion along the line.
According to this configuration, it is possible to minimize the influence of the alignment unevenness caused by the projection part of the columnar spacer extending over the main shadow part and the penumbra part.

Application Example 7 An electronic apparatus according to this application example includes the liquid crystal device according to the application example described above.
According to this configuration, it is possible to provide an electronic apparatus including a liquid crystal device having stable optical characteristics in which the influence of alignment unevenness due to the projection portion of the columnar spacer accompanying the optical alignment treatment is reduced.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the drawings to be used are appropriately enlarged or reduced so that the part to be described can be recognized.

(Embodiment 1)
<Liquid crystal device>
First, the liquid crystal device of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B are schematic views showing the configuration of a liquid crystal device. FIG. 1A is a front view, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line HH ′ in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the liquid crystal device 100 of the present embodiment is sandwiched between an element substrate 10 as a first substrate, a counter substrate 20 as a second substrate, and these substrates. Liquid crystal layer 50.
The element substrate 10 is slightly larger than the counter substrate 20, and both substrates are bonded via a sealing material 52, and liquid crystal is sealed in the gap to form the liquid crystal layer 50.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, a data line driving circuit 101 is provided along one side portion of the element substrate 10, and a plurality of terminal portions 102 electrically connected thereto are arranged. On the other two sides orthogonal to the one side and facing each other, a scanning line driving circuit 104 is provided along the two sides. A plurality of wirings 105 that connect the two scanning line driving circuits 104 are provided on the other one side facing the one side across the counter substrate 20.

  A parting portion 53 is also provided in a frame shape on the inside of the sealing material 52 arranged in a frame shape. The parting part 53 is made of a light-shielding metal material or resin material, and the inside of the parting part 53 is a display region 10a having a plurality of pixels.

  As shown in FIG. 2B, on the surface of the element substrate 10 on the liquid crystal layer 50 side, a pixel electrode 15 provided for each pixel, a thin film transistor (not shown) as a switching element to be described later, and signal wiring (illustrated). (Not shown) and an alignment film 18 covering these are formed.

  On the surface of the counter substrate 20 on the liquid crystal layer 50 side, a parting portion 53, a color filter 22, a common electrode 23 formed so as to cover them, and an alignment film 28 covering the common electrode 23 are formed. Yes. In addition, a light-shielding portion 53a that planarly defines a pixel area for each pixel provided in the display area 10a is provided. The light shielding portion 53a is formed in a lattice shape in a plane in the step of forming the parting portion 53, and is made of a metal material or a resin material having light shielding properties as described above.

  The liquid crystal device 100 according to the present embodiment employs a photo-alignment process that irradiates the alignment films 18 and 28 formed with light such as ultraviolet rays to regulate the alignment direction of liquid crystal molecules. A specific method of the photo-alignment processing method will be described later.

  The common electrode 23 provided on the counter substrate 20 is electrically connected to the wiring on the element substrate 10 side by the vertical conduction portions 106 provided at the four corners of the counter substrate 20 as shown in FIG.

  The liquid crystal device 100 is a columnar spacer (illustrated) that maintains a distance between the element substrate 10 and the counter substrate 20 so that the liquid crystal layer 50 sandwiched between the element substrate 10 and the counter substrate 20 has a predetermined thickness. (Omitted). The details of the configuration related to the columnar spacer will be described in an embodiment described later.

  FIG. 2 is an equivalent circuit diagram showing an electrical configuration of the liquid crystal device. As shown in FIG. 2, the liquid crystal device 100 includes scanning lines 3a and data lines 6a that are insulated from each other and orthogonal to each other at least in the display region 10a. In addition, the capacitor line 3b is arranged so as to be parallel to the scanning line 3a at a predetermined interval.

  A pixel electrode 15, a TFT (Thin Film Transistor) 30 as a switching element that controls switching of the pixel electrode 15, and a storage capacitor in a region partitioned by the scanning line 3 a, the data line 6 a, and the capacitor line 3 b. 36, and these constitute the sub-pixel SG. That is, the subpixels SG are arranged in a matrix.

The scanning line 3 a is electrically connected to the gate of the TFT 30, and the data line 6 a is electrically connected to the source of the TFT 30. The pixel electrode 15 is electrically connected to the drain of the TFT 30.
The data line 6a is connected to a data line driving circuit 101 (see FIG. 1), and supplies image signals S1, S2,..., Sn supplied from the data line driving circuit 101 to each subpixel SG. The scanning line 3a is connected to a scanning line driving circuit 104 (see FIG. 1), and supplies scanning signals G1, G2,..., Gm supplied from the scanning line driving circuit 104 to each subpixel SG. The image signals S1 to Sn supplied from the data line driving circuit 101 to the data line 6a may be supplied line-sequentially in this order, or may be supplied for each of a plurality of adjacent data lines 6a for each group. Good. The scanning line driving circuit 104 supplies the scanning signals G1 to Gm to the scanning line 3a in a pulse-sequential manner at a predetermined timing.

In the liquid crystal device 100, the TFT 30 serving as a switching element is turned on for a certain period by the input of the scanning signals G1 to Gm, so that the image signals S1 to Sn supplied from the data line 6a are at the pixel electrode 15 at a predetermined timing. It is the structure written in. The predetermined level of image signals S1 to Sn written to the liquid crystal layer 50 through the pixel electrode 15 is held for a certain period between the pixel electrode 15 and the common electrode 23 arranged to face each other through the liquid crystal layer 50. The
In order to prevent the held image signals S <b> 1 to Sn from leaking, a holding capacitor 36 is connected in parallel with the liquid crystal capacitor formed between the pixel electrode 15 and the common electrode 23. The storage capacitor 36 is provided between the drain of the TFT 30 and the capacitor line 3b.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of the sub-pixel, and FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the structure of the sub-pixel taken along the line A-A ′ of FIG. 3.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a rectangular pixel electrode 15 is formed in each subpixel SG. The data line 6a extends along the long side (Y-axis direction) of the pixel electrode 15, and the scanning line 3a extends along the short side (X-axis direction) of the pixel electrode 15. On the pixel electrode 15 side of the scanning line 3a, a capacitor line 3b extending in parallel with the scanning line 3a is formed.

A TFT 30 as a switching element is formed on the scanning line 3a in the vicinity of the intersection of the data lines 6a. The TFT 30 has a semiconductor layer 31 made of an island-shaped amorphous silicon film. In addition, the source electrode 6b disposed so as to overlap in a planar manner at one end portion (source side) of the semiconductor layer 31 is also disposed so as to overlap in a planar manner at the other end portion (drain side) of the semiconductor layer 31. The drain electrode 32 is provided.
The source electrode 6b is once drawn to the side opposite to the pixel electrode 15 in the Y-axis direction and then extended in the X-axis direction and connected to the data line 6a.
The drain electrode 32 extends toward the pixel electrode 15 in the Y-axis direction and is connected to a substantially rectangular capacitor electrode 33.
The capacitor electrode 33 is disposed in the plane region of the capacitor line 3b, and constitutes a storage capacitor 36 (see FIG. 4) using the capacitor electrode 33 and the capacitor line 3b as electrodes. The pixel electrode 15 and the capacitor electrode 33 are electrically connected through a contact hole 34 formed in the planar region of the capacitor electrode 33. Therefore, the drain electrode 32 of the TFT 30 and the pixel electrode 15 become conductive.
The scanning line 3 a is disposed at a position overlapping the semiconductor layer 31 in a planar manner, and functions as a gate electrode of the TFT 30. That is, the TFT 30 is a back gate type thin film transistor.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in the liquid crystal device 100, the liquid crystal layer 50 is sandwiched between the element substrate 10 and the counter substrate 20.

  The element substrate 10 is made of a transparent substrate such as glass, and the scanning line 3a and the capacitor line 3b are first formed on the surface on the liquid crystal layer 50 side using aluminum, an aluminum alloy, etc., and oxidized so as to cover them. A first interlayer insulating film 11 made of silicon, silicon oxynitride or the like is formed.

  Next, a semiconductor layer 31 made of amorphous silicon is formed on the first interlayer insulating film 11. A source electrode 6b is formed to cover the source side of the semiconductor layer 31, and a drain electrode 32 is also formed to cover the drain side. In the step of forming the source electrode 6b and the drain electrode 32, the data line 6a and the capacitor electrode 33 that are electrically connected to these are formed. These electrodes and wirings are also formed using a low resistance conductive material such as aluminum or aluminum alloy.

  Then, a second interlayer insulating film 12 as a dielectric layer is formed so as to cover the TFT 30 and the wiring connected thereto. The second interlayer insulating film 12 is made of silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride, or the like.

  A pixel electrode 15 is formed by forming a transparent conductive film such as ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) on the second interlayer insulating film 12 and patterning it by photolithography. The pixel electrode 15 is connected to the capacitor electrode 33 through a contact hole 34 provided in the second interlayer insulating film 12. That is, the pixel electrode 15 is electrically connected to the drain electrode 32 via the capacitor electrode 33.

  An alignment film 18 is provided so as to cover the patterned pixel electrode 15 and the second interlayer insulating film 12. The alignment film 18 is made of an alignment film material that can be photo-aligned, such as polyimide resin.

  The counter substrate 20 is made of a transparent substrate such as glass like the element substrate 10, and the light shielding portion 53 a that substantially partitions the subpixel SG is formed on the surface on the liquid crystal layer 50 side as described above. (See FIG. 1 (b)).

  The color filter 22 is formed in an area partitioned by the light shielding portion 53a. The color filter 22 is selected from at least three colors of red (R), green (G), and blue (B) for each sub-pixel SG.

  A transparent conductive film such as ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) is formed to cover the light shielding portion 53 a and the color filter 22, and this is used as the common electrode 23. Further, an alignment film 28 is formed so as to cover the common electrode 23. The alignment film 28 is also made of the same material as the alignment film 18, and an alignment film material that can be subjected to photo-alignment processing, such as polyimide resin, is used.

  Although not shown in FIG. 4, light incident on the liquid crystal device 100 is deflected on the surface side of the element substrate 10 and the surface side of the counter substrate 20 opposite to the liquid crystal layer 50 of the liquid crystal device 100. Optical elements such as a polarizing plate and a retardation plate are provided. Such a liquid crystal device 100 is of a transmissive type, and is used, for example, with an illumination device that uses an LED, a cold cathode tube, or the like as a light source.

The liquid crystal device 100 shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 is a TN (Twist Nematic) method in which alignment treatment is performed so that the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer 50 rotate (twist) approximately 90 degrees. Hereinafter, the alignment state of liquid crystal molecules that are electro-optic materials is referred to as a liquid crystal mode.
The liquid crystal mode of the liquid crystal device 100 is not limited to the TN mode. For example, it is assumed that the liquid crystal molecules can take either an alignment state of splay alignment or bend alignment. The initial state is splay alignment, and an OCB (Optically Compensated Birefringence) method for driving and controlling liquid crystal molecules in the bend alignment state by applying the transition voltage to the bend alignment may be employed. The OCB method is attracting attention because it can be driven at high speed.

  Also, the common substrate 23 is not provided on the counter substrate 20, but a pair of electrodes is provided on the element substrate 10 side, and the IPS (In Place Switching) method or the FFS (Fringe Field Switching) method in which liquid crystal molecules are horizontally aligned in a certain direction. Good. The IPS method and the FFS method are remarkable in that they can realize wide viewing angle characteristics because the liquid crystal molecules in the horizontal alignment state are rotated and controlled by an electric field generated by applying a driving voltage between the pair of electrodes. Has been.

  Furthermore, there is a VA (Vertical Alignment) system in which liquid crystal having negative dielectric anisotropy is used and liquid crystal molecules are vertically aligned with respect to the alignment film surface. Since the VA method does not require an alignment process by a rubbing method in which the alignment film surface is physically rubbed, attention is paid to the fact that a large liquid crystal device can be manufactured relatively easily.

  Next, a method of photo-alignment processing will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is a table showing a method of photo-alignment treatment, and FIGS. 6A and 6B are schematic views showing a method of light irradiation.

  As shown in FIG. 5, in the photo-alignment processing method, irradiation conditions such as a typical light source and an irradiation angle are determined for each liquid crystal mode by selecting an alignment film material for each alignment type.

The alignment type of the alignment film material is roughly classified into three types: photodecomposition type, photoisomerization type, and photodimerization type. The photolytic type utilizes the fact that the portion of the alignment film material irradiated with light is decomposed and the orientation of liquid crystal molecules differs from the portion not irradiated with light. A typical example of the alignment film material is a polyimide resin. As a light source, for example, light obtained from a Hg-Xe (mercury xenon) lamp having a wavelength of 254 nm is converted into linearly polarized light by a polarizing element and irradiated. As the polarizing element, for example, a quartz laminate using a Brewster angle or a wire grid formed of an inorganic material can be used.
The light irradiation angle is defined by an angle θ from the normal of the substrate surface on which the alignment film is formed, and is 0 ° in the horizontal alignment IPS method and FFS method that do not require a pretilt angle, and 1 as the pretilt angle with respect to the substrate surface. In the TN system (including the OCB system) in which ˜5 ° is required, the angle is 70 ° to 80 °, and in the vertical alignment VA method in which 1 to 5 ° is required as the pretilt angle with respect to the substrate surface, the angle is 5 to 20 °.

In the photoisomerization type, the molecular structure is changed from, for example, a cis type to a trans type by irradiating light onto a polymeric alignment film material containing an azo group in the main chain or side chain to change the azo bond state. . This utilizes the fact that the orientation of the liquid crystal molecules is different due to the change in the molecular structure between the portions not irradiated with light. An example of the light source is a high-pressure mercury lamp with a wavelength of 365 nm.
The light irradiation angle θ is 45 to 70 in the TN method (including the OCB method) in which 0 ° is required for the horizontal orientation IPS method and FFS method that do not require a pretilt angle, and 1 to 5 ° as the pretilt angle with respect to the substrate surface. In the vertical alignment VA method in which 1 to 5 ° is required as the pretilt angle with respect to the substrate surface, it is 5 to 15 °. In this case, the irradiation light may be non-polarized light in the VA method in which the vertical alignment is performed. The other mode uses linearly polarized light.
Specific examples of the photoisomerization type alignment film material include (meth) acrylate resins containing azo groups and polyamic acids containing azo groups.

In the photodimerization type, for example, a polymer alignment film material containing a cinnamic acid skeleton or a coumarin skeleton is irradiated with light so that the molecular weight is doubled. This utilizes the fact that the orientation of the liquid crystal molecules differs between the polymerized portion and the non-polymerized portion.
An example of the light source is an Hg—Xe (mercury xenon) lamp having a wavelength of 313 nm.
The light irradiation angle θ is 45 to 70 in the TN method (including the OCB method) in which 0 ° is required for the horizontal orientation IPS method and FFS method that do not require a pretilt angle, and 1 to 5 ° as the pretilt angle with respect to the substrate surface. °. It is not suitable for the vertical alignment VA system. Irradiation light must be linearly polarized light.
Specific examples of the photo-dimerization type alignment film material include polyvinyl cinnamate (PVCi).

In these photo-alignment processes, when linearly polarized light is used, the relationship between the polarization direction and the alignment direction of the liquid crystal molecules after light irradiation differs depending on the alignment film material. For example, in a photolytic polyimide resin, liquid crystal molecules can be aligned in a direction substantially parallel to the polarization direction.
In the photoisomerization type azobenzene, the horizontal alignment and the vertical alignment can be reversibly changed by selecting the wavelength of irradiation light, changing the polarization direction, or the like.
In the photodimerization type polyvinyl cinnamate (PVCi), it has been confirmed that liquid crystal molecules are aligned in a direction orthogonal to the polarization direction.

  The light irradiation angle θ is determined according to the pretilt angle obtained as described above. As a method of irradiating the alignment processing surface with a predetermined irradiation angle θ, as shown in FIG. 6A, the alignment processing surface (substrate surface) is inclined with respect to a surface light source combined with a polarizing element. The method of making it include. Configuring the surface light source to match the size of the substrate being processed becomes difficult as the size of the substrate increases. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6B, a surface light source or a linear light source having a predetermined light emitting area and a polarizing element are combined (for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-184747, a rod-shaped lamp as a linear light source and polarized light are combined. A combination with a wire grid as an element has been proposed), and a method of scanning this with respect to the orientation-treated surface. Alternatively, a method of moving the orientation processing surface relative to the surface light source or the line light source at a constant speed can be used.

  As described above, the liquid crystal device 100 according to the present embodiment includes the columnar spacers that maintain the distance between the element substrate 10 and the counter substrate 20. As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, a plurality of columnar spacers are provided so as to protrude from the alignment treatment surface. The interval between the columnar spacers is not particularly limited, but it is preferable to arrange them at regular intervals.

  FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing a projection portion of a columnar spacer. Specifically, FIG. 4A is a perspective view, and FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 7B, when the columnar spacer is irradiated with light from an oblique direction at an irradiation angle θ with respect to the normal direction of the alignment processing surface (substrate surface), irradiation light is obtained as shown in FIG. The shadows blocked by the columnar spacers are projected onto the alignment film. Hereinafter, this shadow portion is referred to as a projection unit. A direction in which a shadow is generated in a plane is called a projection direction.

As shown in FIG. 7B, the length SL ₁ on the alignment processing surface of the projection unit is as follows, assuming that the height of the columnar spacer is h and the incident angle of the irradiated light with respect to the alignment processing surface is θ ₁ . It is given by equation (1).
SL ₁ = h / tan θ ₁ = h / tan (90−θ) (1)
For example, if the irradiation angle θ is 45 °, SL ₁ = h. The length SL ₁ and the projection portion irradiation angle θ is larger than 45 ° is longer than the height h of the columnar spacer. Since the height h is generally selected in the range of 2 to 5 μm, the projection portion length SL ₁ becomes about 10 μm when the irradiation angle θ becomes 80 °. The length L obtained by adding the length SL ₁ of the projection portion to the diameter PSL of the columnar spacer is a length that makes it difficult to cause orientation anisotropy on the orientation-treated surface even when the photo-alignment treatment is performed.

  Moreover, the projection part of the columnar spacer in light irradiation appears on the lower side of the columnar spacer on the tilted alignment treatment surface as shown in FIG. In the light irradiation method shown in FIG. 6B, it appears on the opposite side of the scanning direction of the surface light source or the line light source (the direction of the arrow in the figure) with respect to the columnar spacer on the inclined alignment processing surface.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a main shadow and a penumbra of an object. Specifically, FIG. 5A shows the case of a point light source, and FIG. 5B shows the case of a surface light source.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, when light is irradiated onto an object from a point light source, the shadow of the object is generated on the back side of the object in the irradiation direction. Of course, the shadow area is not exposed to light.

  On the other hand, when light is emitted from the surface light source to the object, as shown in FIG. 8B, the main shadow generated by the irradiation light being blocked by the object and the object on the back side of the object in the irradiation direction, and the object Irradiation angle distribution with respect to and penumbra caused by diffraction appear. If the relative positional relationship between the light source and the object is the same, the main shadow region (area) of the surface light source is smaller than the shadow region of the point light source.

  Consider replacing this object with a columnar spacer. As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, when the columnar spacer is irradiated with light from an oblique direction, the projection part of the columnar spacer has a main shadow part and a penumbra part. No light reaches the main shadow, but a little light reaches the penumbra. In order to further reduce the influence of the projection portion due to the columnar spacer on the alignment in the optical alignment processing of the liquid crystal device 100, how to arrange the columnar spacer with respect to the light shielding portion 53a that substantially partitions the subpixel SG. Is an important factor. In other words, how to design the light-shielding part 53a is important depending on the shape and size of the columnar spacer and the method of the photo-alignment process, and how the projection part is generated. Hereinafter, examples will be described.

Example 1
FIG. 9 is a schematic plan view illustrating the arrangement of the columnar spacers according to the first embodiment. Specifically, in the liquid crystal device 100, the arrangement of the columnar spacers 5 when viewed from the counter substrate 20 side is shown.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the light shielding portions 53a of the counter substrate 20 are arranged in a lattice pattern in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction so as to overlap the data line 6a and the scanning line 3a orthogonal to each other on the element substrate 10. Is provided. That is, the sub-pixels SG are provided in a lattice shape so as to substantially partition.

  As a method for the photo-alignment treatment, for example, as shown in the table of FIG. 5, a polyimide resin is used as the alignment film material. Then, a surface light source or a linear light source using an Hg-Xe lamp with a wavelength of 254 nm is combined with a polarizing element, an irradiation angle θ is set to 70 to 80 °, and a surface light source or a light source as shown in FIG. The surface light source or the line light source is scanned from the lower left to the upper right on the drawing in a state where the orientation processing surface is inclined with respect to the line light source. Needless to say, the inclination angle of the alignment treatment surface is determined by the light irradiation angle θ.

As shown in FIG. 9, the scanning direction is set so as to intersect at an angle θ ₂ with respect to the light shielding portion 53a that overlaps the data line 6a when viewed in plan. Therefore, the irradiation light that has passed through the polarizing element is converted into linearly polarized light in a direction orthogonal to the scanning direction indicated by the angle θ ₂ and irradiated. That is, the orientation direction is a direction orthogonal to the scanning direction. Of course, if the arrangement of the polarizing element with respect to the surface light source or the line light source is changed, the scanning direction and the alignment direction can be matched.

The columnar spacer 5 according to the first embodiment is a columnar spacer that is circular in a plan view, and is disposed so as to overlap the light shielding portion 53a that overlaps the data line 6a extending in the Y-axis direction. One subpixel SG is provided for each subpixel SG. According to the optical alignment process described above, the projection direction of the projection part of the columnar spacer 5 is opposite to the scanning direction indicated by the angle θ ₂ .

  The columnar spacer 5 is located substantially at the center of the width in the X-axis direction of the light shielding portion 53a overlapping the data line 6a. On the other hand, the light-shielding portion 53a overlapping the data line 6a is provided with a protruding portion 53b having a width L2 set wider than the width L1 in the projection direction of the projection portion of the columnar spacer 5 along the projection portion. .

  The planar shape of the projecting portion 53b has an arc shape on the projecting side so that the projected portion of the columnar spacer 5 is accommodated. More specifically, it is set so that at least the main shadow portion in the projection portion falls within the range where the protruding portion 53b is provided. As a result, the main shadow portion, that is, the region that is not subjected to the photo-alignment process because the irradiation light does not hit the alignment process surface is shielded by the protrusion 53b. Therefore, the alignment unevenness due to the main shadow portion of the columnar spacer 5 due to the optical alignment treatment is not visually recognized.

  The planar shape of the protruding portion 53b may be set so that the main shadow portion and the penumbra portion of the columnar spacer 5 are accommodated. As a result, the region where the irradiation light does not strike the alignment treatment surface and the region where the photo-alignment treatment is not performed and the penumbra portion, that is, the region where the irradiation light does not reach the alignment treatment surface sufficiently and the photo-alignment treatment is insufficient are Shaded. Therefore, it is possible to make the alignment unevenness due to the main shadow portion and the penumbra portion of the columnar spacer 5 accompanying the optical alignment treatment difficult to be visually recognized.

The columnar spacer 5 in Example 1 is provided on the surface of the counter substrate 20 on the liquid crystal layer 50 side where the light shielding portion 53a is formed. In this way, when the columnar spacer 5 is provided, it can be confirmed whether the positional relationship with the light shielding portion 53a and the protruding portion 53b is appropriate.
Therefore, FIG. 9 shows a photo-alignment processing method in the alignment film 28 (see FIG. 4) on the counter substrate 20 side, but the arrangement of the columnar spacers 5 is not limited to this. For example, the columnar spacers 5 may be disposed on the surface of the element substrate 10 on the liquid crystal layer 50 side so as to correspond to the protruding portion 53b on the counter substrate 20 side. That is, the projection portion of the columnar spacer 5 is projected on the alignment film 18 (see FIG. 4) on the element substrate 10 side by the optical alignment treatment, and the alignment unevenness caused by the projection portion is provided on the counter substrate 20 side. Since the light is shielded by the protrusion 53b, it is not visually recognized.

(Example 2)
FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view illustrating the arrangement of the columnar spacers according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 10, the columnar spacers 5 according to the second embodiment are arranged such that the columnar spacers 5 overlap with the intersections of the light shielding portions 53a provided in a lattice shape. Note that the method of photo-alignment treatment is the same as that in the first embodiment, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.

  At the intersection of the light shielding portions 53a, there is a protruding portion 53c that protrudes toward the subpixel SG. The protruding portion 53c is formed on the light shielding portion 53a on the counter substrate 20 side so as to overlap the TFT 30 (including the source electrode 6b) provided in the vicinity of the intersection between the data line 6a on the element substrate 10 side and the scanning line 3a. Is provided. The region where the TFT 30 is provided is a region which is covered with the alignment film 18 but does not function optically because the pixel electrode 15 is not disposed (see FIG. 4). In addition, a protrusion 53c having a light shielding property is provided so that external light is not incident on the TFT 30 (semiconductor layer 31) in the region and malfunction of the TFT 30 does not occur.

The projection part of the columnar spacer 5 accompanying the optical alignment process is projected on the opposite side with respect to the scanning direction of the surface light source or line light source indicated by the angle θ ₂ .

  Since the projection part 53c is provided, the intersection part of the light shielding part 53a is set to be wider in plan view than the other light shielding parts 53a in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. Therefore, the relative position of the columnar spacer 5 at the intersection can be easily set in the projection direction of the projection unit so that the projection unit is within the intersection. Needless to say, the planar size of the protrusion 53c is set not only so as to cover the TFT 30, but also in consideration of the projection direction and range of the projection of the columnar spacer 5.

  In this way, by arranging the columnar spacer 5 so as to overlap the light shielding portion 53a provided with the protruding portion 53c, the alignment unevenness caused by the projection portion of the columnar spacer 5 in the optical alignment process is caused by the intersection of the light shielding portions 53a. Shaded and not visible.

  As in the first embodiment, the projection unit has a main shadow part and a penumbra part. Therefore, the columnar spacer 5 is arranged so that at least the main shadow part fits in the light shielding part 53a provided with the protruding part 53c, or the main shadow part and the penumbra part fit in the light shielding part 53a provided with the protruding part 53c. The columnar spacers 5 are arranged as described above. In other words, the position and shape of the protruding portion 53c may be determined corresponding to the main shadow portion and the penumbra portion.

  Further, depending on the projection direction of the projection part of the columnar spacer 5 in the photo-alignment process, it is possible to determine the relative position of the columnar spacer 5 so as to overlap the intersection of the light shielding parts 53a even without the protruding part 53c. . For example, the liquid crystal device 100 of the present embodiment is a transmissive type, but on the element substrate 10 side, it is reflected on a wiring layer provided with signal wirings such as the TFTs 30 and the data lines 6a and scanning lines 3a electrically connected thereto. A reflective type provided with a layer may be used. In that case, since the TFT 30 is covered with the reflective layer, the protruding portion 53 c is not necessary at the intersection of the light shielding portion 53 a in the counter substrate 20.

  Or you may provide the protrusion part 53c only in the cross | intersection part where the columnar spacer 5 is arrange | positioned so that the orientation nonuniformity resulting from the projection part of the columnar spacer 5 in optical alignment processing may not be visually recognized.

(Example 3)
FIG. 11 is a schematic view showing the arrangement of the columnar spacers of Example 3. Specifically, FIG. 4A is a plan view, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC ′ of FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 11A, the arrangement of the columnar spacers 5 according to the third embodiment is an island provided in the vicinity of the center in the sub-pixel SG substantially partitioned by the light shielding portions 53a provided in a lattice shape. The columnar spacer 5 is arranged so as to overlap the light shielding portion 53d. Note that the method of photo-alignment treatment is the same as that in the first embodiment, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.

Specifically, the columnar spacer 5 is disposed substantially at the center in the sub-pixel SG. The position and shape of the light shielding part 53d are determined in consideration of the projection part of the columnar spacer 5 and the projection direction thereof in the photo-alignment process. That is, the projection portion projected on the opposite side to the scanning direction of the surface light source or the line light source indicated by the angle θ ₂ has a track shape extending in the projection direction so as to be accommodated in the light shielding portion 53d.

  FIG. 11B is a cross-sectional view showing the relative positions of the columnar spacer 5 and the light shielding portions 53a and 53d when the columnar spacer 5 is provided on the counter substrate 20 side. As shown in FIG. 2B, first, a lattice-shaped light shielding portion 53a and an island-shaped light shielding portion 53d are formed on the surface of the counter substrate 20 (on the side facing the liquid crystal layer 50). The light shielding part 53d is formed based on a relative positional relationship with the columnar spacer 5 to be formed later. Subsequently, the color filters 22 of three colors of R (red), G (green), and B (blue) provided corresponding to the sub-pixels SG are formed while covering the light shielding portions 53a and 53d. Next, the common electrode 23 is formed so as to cover the color filter 22.

  The columnar spacer 5 is formed into a cylindrical shape by exposing and developing a photosensitive resin material formed so as to cover the common electrode 23. The planar position where the columnar spacer 5 is formed is substantially the center of the sub-pixel SG, and in this case, is formed above the G (green) color filter 22. The sub-pixel SG provided with the G (green) color filter 22 is provided with a light shielding portion 53d.

  The alignment film 28 is formed so as to cover the surface of the counter substrate 20 on which the columnar spacers 5 are formed. Examples of the method for forming the alignment film 28 include a printing method for transferring the alignment film material, a spin coating method, and a droplet discharge method for discharging and drawing the alignment film material as droplets. The droplet discharge method is preferable in that waste of materials used in a non-contact type can be eliminated.

  In FIG. 11B, the alignment film 28 is not shown so as to cover the entire surface of the columnar spacer 5, but in reality, it may be only slightly attached to the surface.

  One pixel in the liquid crystal device 100 includes three sub-pixels SG each having a color filter 22 of a different color.

  According to the third exemplary embodiment, the columnar spacer 5 is disposed at substantially the center of each pixel. Further, the color filter 22 is disposed above the G (green) color filter 22 which is a color reference. Thereby, the space | interval of the element substrate 10 and the opposing board | substrate 20 is hold | maintained appropriately by making G (green) into a reference color. Further, even if the alignment film 28 is subjected to a photo-alignment process, the columnar spacer 5 and the projection part on the alignment film 28 are shielded by the light-shielding part 53d. Therefore, the alignment unevenness resulting from the projection part of the columnar spacer 5 is not visually recognized.

  In this case as well, the projection unit has a main shadow part and a penumbra part as in the first embodiment. Therefore, the columnar spacer 5 is arranged so that at least the main shadow part fits in the island-shaped light shielding part 53d, or the columnar spacer 5 is arranged so that the main shadow part and the penumbra shadow part fit in the island-shaped light shielding part 53d. . In other words, the position and shape of the island-shaped light shielding portion 53d may be determined corresponding to the main shadow portion and the penumbra portion.

  The sub-pixel SG provided with the island-shaped light-shielding portion 53d and the columnar spacer 5 is not limited to having the G (green) color filter 22. For example, you may provide in the sub pixel SG which has the color filter 22 of B (blue) or R (red) whose visibility is lower than G (green). According to this, the influence which the light-shielding part 53d has on the optical characteristics of the liquid crystal device 100 can be further reduced.

  Next, a method for analyzing the main shadow portion and the penumbra portion of the projection portion of the columnar spacer on the alignment film will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing an apparatus for analyzing the orientation treatment state, and FIG. 13 is a graph showing the intensity distribution of the harmonics.

  As shown in FIG. 12, an example of an apparatus for analyzing the alignment treatment state is a surface second harmonic generation (SHG) measurement apparatus.

  The SHG measurement apparatus irradiates a substrate surface having an alignment film with laser excitation light such as a YAG laser, and takes out the double wave with a filter. The intensity of the harmonic wave is measured with a photomultiplier. The substrate is rotatable in the same plane while keeping the incident angle of the laser excitation light constant. Therefore, the intensity of the double wave can be measured from various directions.

  If such an SHG measuring apparatus is used, second harmonics are generated only from SHG active molecules having an asymmetric distribution on the surface or interface, so the anisotropy in the alignment direction on the alignment film and the alignment film interface The alignment state of the liquid crystal molecules at can be examined. The details are described in pages 48 to 50 in the book “Basics, Applications, and Processes of Liquid Crystal Orientation” by the author, Masaki Hasegawa, issued by Tokyo Technical Information Service on February 20, 2002.

  FIG. 13 is an example of a graph showing the intensity distribution of the harmonic when the SHG measuring apparatus is used to analyze the photo-alignment treatment state of the polyimide resin film as the alignment film. As shown in FIG. 13, in the normal light irradiation region, when the intensity of the double wave obtained by changing the incident direction of the YAG laser is measured, a strong intensity distribution is shown in a specific direction (90 ° side). This indicates the anisotropy of orientation on the alignment film surface.

On the other hand, the intensity distribution of the double wave obtained from the surface of the alignment film corresponding to the main shadow portion of the columnar spacer 5 is substantially constant regardless of the incident direction. That is, no orientation anisotropy is observed.
On the other hand, the intensity distribution of the harmonic wave obtained from the surface of the alignment film corresponding to the penumbra portion shows an intensity distribution similar to the intensity distribution obtained from the normal light irradiation region. The intensity of the double wave is lower than that of the normal light irradiation region. That is, although anisotropy of orientation is recognized, it cannot be said that it is normal, and it can be seen that the orientation is insufficient.

  As a method for evaluating the surface anisotropy in the alignment film, an X-ray scattering measurement method, an infrared absorption spectrum measurement method, and the like have been introduced in addition to the method using the SHG measuring apparatus.

  If such a method for evaluating surface anisotropy is used, it is possible to specify the positions and ranges of the main shadow portion and penumbra portion on the alignment film in the photo-alignment treatment. The relative position of the columnar spacer 5 with respect to the light shielding portion 53a can be determined based on the positions and ranges of the obtained main shadow portion and penumbra portion. In addition, as shown in the first to third embodiments, the positions and shapes of the protruding portions 53b and 53c and the island-shaped light-shielding portion 53d can be set to an appropriate state, that is, a state in which the alignment unevenness can be hidden. .

(Embodiment 2)
Next, an electronic apparatus including the liquid crystal device 100 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 14 is a schematic perspective view showing a mobile phone as an electronic apparatus.

  As shown in FIG. 14, a mobile phone 300 as an electronic apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a main body 301 including an input button switch, a display unit 302, and the like. The display unit 302 includes at least the liquid crystal device 100 according to the first embodiment and an illumination device that illuminates the liquid crystal device 100. Therefore, since the alignment unevenness caused by the projection part of the columnar spacer 5 is not visually recognized, the mobile phone 300 having stable display quality can be provided. In addition, since the position and range of the projection part (main shadow part and penumbra part) of the columnar spacer 5 are accurately analyzed and the position and shape of the light shielding part 53a that shields this are specified, the light shielding part 53a The aperture ratio depending on the dimensions can be optimized. That is, it is possible to provide the mobile phone 300 that can provide a brighter display.

  Various modifications other than the above embodiment are conceivable. Hereinafter, a modification will be described.

(Modification 1) In the liquid crystal device 100 of the first embodiment, the shape of the columnar spacer 5 is not limited to this. FIGS. 15A and 15B are schematic views showing columnar spacers according to modifications. For example, as shown in FIG. 15A, a truncated cone-shaped columnar spacer 7 may be used. When the columnar spacers 7 are formed by photolithography, by adjusting the exposure conditions such as the exposure amount and the current conditions such as the development time, a truncated cone shape having a smaller upper surface area than the bottom surface can be obtained. According to this, if the same and the size and the height h of the bottom surface of the columnar spacers 7 as shown in FIG. 15 (b) and columnar spacers 5 of the first embodiment, the length SL ₂ of the projection portion is columnar spacers 5 becomes shorter than the length SL ₁ of the projection unit. Accordingly, the length L3 of the region where the optical alignment process including the columnar spacers 7 in the projection direction is insufficient can be made shorter than the length L. Therefore, the width in the projection direction of the light shielding portion 53a that shields the area can be reduced.

(Modification 2) In the liquid crystal device 100 of the first embodiment, the projection part and the projection direction of the columnar spacer 5 are not limited to this. In the first to third embodiments, the method of the photo-alignment process in which the columnar spacer 5 is irradiated with light from an oblique direction on the premise that a pretilt angle is given to the alignment film has been described. The scanning direction of the surface light source or the line light source given at the angle θ ₂ with respect to the light shielding portion 53a overlapping the data line 6a is appropriately determined in optical design. Therefore, it goes without saying that the angle θ ₂ needs to be taken into consideration in the position and shape of the protruding portion 53b in the first embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 5, when the liquid crystal mode is IPS or FFS, a pretilt angle may be given, but it may not be given. FIGS. 16A to 16C are schematic views showing a modified photo-alignment processing method and arrangement of columnar spacers. In the case of IPS or FFS, the irradiation angle θ is 0 °. Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG. 16A, the surface light source or the line light source and the polarizing element are scanned substantially parallel to the orientation processing surface. Then, although the main shadow portion does not occur, a penumbra portion is generated by the diffused light component included in the irradiation light. This is because general illuminating light is not composed of only perfect parallel light, but includes diffusing light components to some extent, and thus becomes quasi-parallel light having a distribution of the irradiation angle θ. Therefore, when the diffused light component included in the irradiation light of the surface light source or the line light source is large in the direction orthogonal to the scanning direction, as shown in FIG. 16B, the direction substantially orthogonal to the scanning direction. Many penumbra parts appear in Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG. 16C, the columnar spacer 5 is positioned substantially at the center of the sub-pixel SG, and the scanning direction in the photo-alignment process is taken as the X-axis direction. For example, an elliptical light-shielding portion 53e corresponding to (Y-axis direction) is provided. The columnar spacer 5 is disposed so as to substantially overlap the light shielding portion 53e.
That is, it is important to determine the relative position of the columnar spacer with respect to the light shielding part and the shape of the light shielding part in accordance with the projection direction of the projection part of the columnar spacer in the optical alignment process.

  (Modification 3) In the liquid crystal device 100 of the first embodiment, the arrangement of the columnar spacers 5 is not limited to Examples 1 to 3. For example, the columnar spacers 5 do not have to be disposed for each subpixel SG, and may be selectively disposed within a range in which the distance between the element substrate 10 and the counter substrate 20 can be maintained.

  (Modification 4) The configuration of the liquid crystal device 100 of the first embodiment is not limited to this. For example, in the counter substrate 20, the color filter 22 is not an essential configuration. In addition, the configuration of the pixel electrode 15 and the common electrode 23 may differ depending on the liquid crystal mode. Furthermore, the columnar spacer 5 is not limited to being formed before forming the alignment film, and may be provided on the alignment film.

  (Modification 5) In the second embodiment, the electronic device on which the liquid crystal device 100 of the first embodiment is mounted is not limited to the mobile phone 300. For example, it can be suitably used for various display devices such as DVD players, viewers and navigators, and light valves for projectors.

It is the schematic which shows the structure of a liquid crystal device, (a) is a front view, (b) is sectional drawing cut | disconnected by the H-H 'line | wire of (a). FIG. 3 is an equivalent circuit diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of the liquid crystal device. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing a configuration of subpixels. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the structure of a sub-pixel taken along line A-A ′ in FIG. 3. The table | surface which shows the method of a photo-alignment process. (A) And (b) is the schematic which shows the method of light irradiation. (A) is a perspective view which shows the projection part of a columnar spacer, (b) is a side view which shows the projection part of a columnar spacer. (A) is a figure explaining the shadow of the object in the case of a point light source, (b) is a figure explaining the main shadow and penumbra of the object in the case of a surface light source. FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view illustrating the arrangement of columnar spacers according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view showing the arrangement of columnar spacers of Example 2. (A) is a schematic plan view which shows arrangement | positioning of the columnar spacer of Example 3, (b) is sectional drawing cut | disconnected by the C-C 'line | wire of (a). Schematic which shows the apparatus which analyzes the orientation processing state. The graph which shows intensity distribution of a double wave. The schematic perspective view which shows the portable telephone as an electronic device. (A) And (b) is the schematic which shows the columnar spacer of a modification. (A)-(c) is schematic which shows arrangement | positioning of the photo-alignment processing method and columnar spacer of a modification.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 5,7 ... Columnar spacer, 10 ... Element substrate as first substrate, 18, 28 ... Alignment film, 20 ... Counter substrate as second substrate, 30 ... TFT (thin film transistor) as switching element, 50 ... Liquid crystal Layer, 53a, 53d, 53e ... light-shielding part, 53b, 53c ... projecting part as a part where the width of the light-shielding part is widened, 100 ... liquid crystal device, 300 ... portable telephone as an electronic device.

Claims (7)

A first substrate and a second substrate disposed opposite to each other;
A liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the first substrate and the second substrate;
A light-shielding portion that planarly defines at least a pixel region on either the first substrate or the second substrate;
Columnar spacers for maintaining a distance between the first substrate and the second substrate;
An alignment film provided on a side of the first substrate and the second substrate facing the liquid crystal layer and subjected to alignment treatment by light irradiation;
The columnar spacer has a relative position with respect to the light-shielding part so that the columnar spacer and the projection part of the columnar spacer by light irradiation are located in a region where the light-shielding part is provided. A liquid crystal device characterized by being set with respect to a direction. A first substrate and a second substrate disposed opposite to each other;
A liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the first substrate and the second substrate;
A light-shielding portion that planarly defines at least a pixel region on either the first substrate or the second substrate;
Columnar spacers for maintaining a distance between the first substrate and the second substrate;
An alignment film provided on a side of the first substrate and the second substrate facing the liquid crystal layer and subjected to alignment treatment by light irradiation;
The light-shielding part has a width of the light-shielding part in the projection direction of the projection part such that the columnar spacer and the projection part of the columnar spacer by light irradiation are located in a region where the light-shielding part is provided. The liquid crystal device, wherein the liquid crystal device is set wider than a width of the other light shielding portion along the projection direction. The pixel region is defined in a planar manner by the light-shielding portion provided in a lattice shape,
The part where the width of the light shielding part is widened in the projection direction of the projection part is provided corresponding to the intersecting part of the light shielding part, and is larger than the width of the light shielding part along the projection direction at the other intersecting part. The liquid crystal device according to claim 2, wherein the liquid crystal device is also wide.   3. The liquid crystal device according to claim 2, wherein the portion of the projection unit in which the width of the light shielding unit is widened in a projection direction includes a region in which a switching element for driving and controlling a pixel is provided. The projection unit has a main shadow part in which light irradiated to the columnar spacer is shielded by the columnar spacer, and a penumbra part generated by irradiation angle distribution and diffraction of the light to the columnar spacer,
The relative position of the columnar spacer with respect to the light shielding part is set with respect to the projection direction of the main shadowing part so that the columnar spacer and at least the main shadowing part are located within the region where the light shielding part is provided. The width of the light shielding part in the projection direction of the main shadow part is set wider than the width of the other light shielding part along the projection direction. The liquid crystal device according to any one of the above. The projection unit has a main shadow part in which light irradiated to the columnar spacer is shielded by the columnar spacer, and a penumbra part generated by irradiation angle distribution and diffraction of the light to the columnar spacer,
The relative position of the columnar spacer with respect to the light shielding portion is such that the columnar spacer and the main shadow portion and the penumbra portion are located within the region where the light shielding portion is provided. Set to the projection direction of the portion, or the width of the light shielding portion in the projection direction of the main shadow portion and the penumbra portion is set wider than the width of the other light shielding portions along the projection direction The liquid crystal device according to claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal device is a liquid crystal device.   An electronic apparatus comprising the liquid crystal device according to claim 1.

Images