JP3760675B2 - Liquid crystal device and electronic device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a reflective liquid crystal device and an electronic device using the liquid crystal device.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, as a reflection type liquid crystal device, a liquid crystal device in which a reflection plate is disposed on the back side of a liquid crystal cell in which a liquid crystal layer is sealed between two transparent substrates is widely used. In such a reflective liquid crystal device, a polarizing plate is arranged before and after the liquid crystal cell, or a polarizing plate is arranged only on the front side of the liquid crystal device, depending on the type of liquid crystal layer and the driving method. You may not need any boards at all.
[0003]
In such a type of reflective liquid crystal device, external light enters the liquid crystal layer through the transparent substrate on the front side, passes through the transparent substrate on the back side and is reflected by the reflective plate, and then becomes transparent on the back side again. Visible through the substrate, the liquid crystal layer, and the transparent substrate on the front side. In this case, since a gap is formed between the liquid crystal layer and the reflecting surface of the reflecting plate by the thickness of the transparent substrate on the back side, depending on the incident angle of external light, the pixel region or dot of the liquid crystal layer that passes at the time of incidence Since the area is different from the pixel area or the dot area of the liquid crystal layer that passes after reflection, there is a problem that display blur due to so-called parallax or a double image occurs.
[0004]
As a technique for solving the above-mentioned problems, as described in JP-A-5-323371 and JP-A-9-113893, a reflection plate for reflecting external light is provided on the inner surface of the liquid crystal cell. In other words, the parallax is eliminated.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the reflection type liquid crystal device described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-323371, the reflection electrode is provided with irregularities so as to have light diffusibility, so that the process becomes complicated and the cost increases. There's a problem. In order to eliminate the metallic and specular feeling of the reflective electrode, a very complicated design such as the height, spacing, and arrangement of the unevenness is required. If the height of the unevenness is made too violent, the liquid crystal alignment is disturbed due to this.
[0006]
One means for solving the above problems is Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-113893. According to this publication, the reflecting electrode is in a mirror state, and the light diffusibility is made to depend on the light control film on the front surface of the liquid crystal cell. However, in the reflection type liquid crystal device described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-113893, a light control film composed of two kinds of minute regions having different refractive indexes is disposed on the front surface of the liquid crystal cell. There is a problem that there is a direction where there is no diffused light and the viewing angle is narrow. This is because incident light from a specific direction is scattered, but light from other directions is not scattered. Furthermore, when the light diffusibility of the light control film is increased to widen the viewing angle, there is a problem that blurring of display occurs. This light control film is used to eliminate the specular feeling and metal feeling of the reflector and to obtain a bright display even if it is not in the regular reflection direction of external light, but the light control film is too light diffusive. Then, different information at different pixels is mixed before it is recognized by human eyes. In other words, if the white display and the black display are performed by adjacent pixels, the boundary between the white display and the black display becomes difficult to understand due to the light control film, and the display is blurred. If the light diffusivity by the light control film is too strong, display blurring (blurring) becomes remarkable. Conversely, if the light control film is too weak, the mirror surface and metallic feeling of the reflector remain, and the viewing angle of the liquid crystal device becomes narrow.
[0007]
Further, with the recent development of portable devices and OA devices, colorization of liquid crystal displays has been required, and colorization is often required even in devices using a reflective liquid crystal device. However, in the method of combining the liquid crystal device and the color filter described in JP-A-9-113893, the viewing angle is narrow, and further, blurring of the display occurs due to scattering by the light control film. Therefore, there is a problem that sufficient color development cannot be obtained.
[0008]
In addition, as described in JP-A-7-28055 and JP-A-7-36060, a method has been proposed in which a diffusion plate is also formed on the inner surface of the liquid crystal cell to suppress display blurring. However, this has problems such as high cost, low reliability, and difficulty in obtaining desired scattering characteristics, and has not yet been put into practical use.
[0009]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a reflective liquid crystal device that is bright with a wide viewing angle and has no blurring or color mixing. Another object is to provide an electronic device using the liquid crystal device.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
Means taken by the present invention to solve the above problems are as follows.
[0011]
In the liquid crystal device of the present invention, a liquid crystal layer is sandwiched between a first substrate and a second substrate, a light scattering layer is disposed on a side different from the liquid crystal layer of the first substrate, and the light scattering layer is interposed through the light scattering layer. In a liquid crystal device in which a reflective layer that reflects incident external light and emits the light through the light scattering layer is formed on the liquid crystal layer side of the second substrate, the light scattering layer is generally in the normal direction of the liquid crystal device. Shows weak scattering with respect to the light incident from the normal direction, shows generally strong scattering with respect to light incident from an angle inclined from the normal direction to the vertical and horizontal directions of the liquid crystal device, and the incident light A first axis in which the tilt angle from the normal direction is φ, φ in the normal direction is 0 °, and φ is changed in the range of ± 90 ° in the vertical direction of the liquid crystal device, and the first axis is The second crossing at the 0 ° point and changing φ in the range of ± 90 ° in the left-right direction of the liquid crystal device. In the plane of the scattering characteristics of the light scattering layer defined based on the above, the light scattering layer has a characteristic in which the portion of the scattering characteristics exhibiting strong scattering surrounds the portion of the scattering characteristics exhibiting weak scattering in a donut shape It is characterized by that.
[0012]
According to this means, it is possible to produce a reflective liquid crystal device that suppresses blurring of display or color mixing. The reflective display is usually made by observing light that is incident on the liquid crystal device from an oblique direction and is reflected by the reflective layer in the front direction (normal direction) of the liquid crystal device. The light scattering layer strongly scatters the light incident on the liquid crystal device from the wide-angle side, and conversely, it has a weak scattering property for the light emitted in the normal direction of the liquid crystal device. (Blur) can be suppressed.
[0013]
Note that the reflective layer may also serve as the pixel electrode. By doing so, it is not necessary to newly form a pixel electrode, and a liquid crystal device can be manufactured at a low cost. A color filter may be formed between the reflective layer and the first substrate. In this way, a reflective color display can be realized.
[0014]
In addition, the light scattering layer is preferably free from scattering (backscattering) on the incident light side and mainly forward scattering, as announced by Professor Uchida et al. In Tohoku University at Asia Display95, pp599-pp602. .
[0015]
The direction in which the scattering is weak is a direction in which the cloud value (haze) is 30% or less with respect to the light incident on the light scattering layer from this direction, and the direction in which the scattering is strong is incident on the light scattering layer from this direction. It is a direction in which the cloud value (haze) is 50% or more with respect to light. In addition, a cloud value (haze) is a value calculated | required by ratio of the total light transmittance measured by the integrating sphere type light transmittance measuring apparatus and scattered light transmittance.
[0016]
In the liquid crystal device of the present invention, when the tilt angle from the normal direction of the liquid crystal device is φ, the angle at which the scattering is the weakest is φMIN, and the angle at which the scattering is the strongest is φMAX, 0 ° ≦ | φMIN | ≦ 10 ° 20 degrees ≦ | φMAX | ≦ 60 degrees.
[0017]
According to this means, it is possible to produce a reflective liquid crystal device with higher image quality and with reduced display blurring and color mixing. The angle at which the observer observes the reflective liquid crystal device is in the range of approximately 10 degrees cone from the normal direction of the liquid crystal device. Further, at this time, it was confirmed by experiments that the angle at which external light is incident on the reflective liquid crystal device is in the range of approximately 10 to 60 degrees from the normal direction of the liquid crystal device. By aligning the strongest scattering range with the direction in which external light passes when incident, and matching the weakest scattering range with the direction in which light passes when exiting, display blur (blur) and color mixing with high image quality. This makes it possible to produce a reflective liquid crystal device that suppresses the above.
[0018]
The liquid crystal device of the present invention is characterized in that a polarizing plate is disposed so as to sandwich the light scattering layer with the first substrate.
[0019]
According to this means, since the polarizing plate is used, a reflective liquid crystal device with high contrast can be obtained. Furthermore, there is an effect of absorbing about half of the backscattered light by the scattering layer. As a result, it is possible to suppress a decrease in contrast due to back scattering of the scattering layer.
[0020]
The liquid crystal device of the present invention is characterized in that at least one retardation plate is disposed between the first substrate and the polarizing plate.
[0021]
According to this means, good display control can be performed in the reflective display, and the influence on the color tone such as coloring due to the wavelength dispersion of light can be reduced. The retardation plate may be disposed anywhere between the polarizing plate and the scattering layer or between the scattering layer and the first substrate.
[0022]
An electronic apparatus according to the present invention includes any one of the above liquid crystal devices.
[0023]
According to this means, it is possible to realize an electronic apparatus using a liquid crystal device that is bright with a wide viewing angle and capable of reflective display without blurring or color mixing.
[0024]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Next, embodiments according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0025]
(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing the structure of a liquid crystal device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment basically relates to a simple matrix type liquid crystal display device, but can be applied to an active matrix type device, other segment type devices, and other liquid crystal devices with the same configuration. .
[0026]
In this embodiment, a liquid crystal cell in which a liquid crystal layer 105 is sealed by a frame-shaped sealing material 104 is formed between two substrates 101 and 102. The liquid crystal layer 105 is composed of nematic liquid crystal having a predetermined twist angle. A color filter 110 is formed on the inner surface of the upper transparent substrate 101. In this color filter, colored layers of three colors of R (red), G (green), and B (blue) are arranged in a predetermined pattern. Yes. A transparent protective film 111 is coated on the surface of the color filter, and a plurality of striped transparent electrodes 112 are formed of ITO or the like on the surface of the protective film. An alignment film is formed on the surface of the transparent electrode 112 and is rubbed in a predetermined direction. A polarizing plate 106, a first retardation plate 107, a second retardation plate 108, and a light scattering layer 109 are disposed on the outer surface of the upper transparent substrate 101.
[0027]
On the other hand, on the inner surface of the lower substrate 102, a plurality of striped reflective electrodes 103 formed for each colored layer of the color filter are arranged so as to intersect the transparent electrode 112. In the case of an active matrix type device including an MIM element and a TFT element, each reflective electrode 103 is formed in a rectangular shape and connected to a wiring via the active element. The reflective electrode 103 is formed of Cr, Al, or the like, and the surface thereof is a reflective surface that reflects light incident from the transparent substrate 101 side. An alignment film similar to the above is formed on the surface of the reflective electrode 103.
[0028]
First, the light scattering layer 109 will be described. In order to investigate the light diffusibility of the light scattering layer, a measurement system as shown in FIG. 4 was used. Parallel light was incident on the light scattering layer 403 from the light source 401, and transmitted light that traveled straight through the light scattering layer 403 was detected by the light receiving unit 404. At this time, the light scattering layer 403 was rotated 402 to measure the intensity of transmitted light. The results measured with the measurement system of FIG. 4 are shown in FIG. The horizontal axis indicates the rotation angle of the light scattering layer, and 0 ° is defined when the parallel light from the light source is vertically incident on the light scattering layer. Clockwise is negative and counterclockwise is positive. The vertical axis represents the transmitted light intensity. 201 in the figure is a characteristic of a transparent acrylic plate having no light diffusibility. Reference numeral 202 denotes a characteristic of the light scattering layer having strong light diffusibility. Further, 203 is a characteristic of the light scattering layer having no light scattering property in the range of −10 ° to + 10 °, and 204 is a characteristic of the light scattering layer having no light scattering property in the range of −30 ° to + 30 °. is there. In the present embodiment, the light scattering layer 109 is a light scattering layer having the light diffusivity 203 of FIG.
[0029]
Next, the reflective liquid crystal display will be described. External light passes through the polarizing plate 106, the first retardation plate 107, the second retardation plate 108, the light scattering layer 109, and the color filter 110 in FIG. 1, and after passing through the liquid crystal layer 105, the reflective electrode 103 in a mirror state. And is emitted from the polarizing plate 106 to the outside of the liquid crystal cell again. At this time, the polarization state of the incident light is changed by the voltage applied to the liquid crystal layer 105, and the bright state and the dark state, and the brightness between them are controlled. The light scattering layer 109 has an effect of making the specular feeling and metal feeling of the reflective electrode 103 cloudy and recognizing bright display even in directions other than the regular reflection direction of external light. At this time, the light scattering layer strongly scatters external light incident on the liquid crystal device from an oblique direction and does not scatter the reflected light in the normal direction of the liquid crystal device. It was possible to realize a reflective liquid crystal device without blur or color mixing.
[0030]
As the light scattering layer 109, a hologram called a transmission type described in Registered Patent No. 2854986, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-222512, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-138396, etc., or a laminate of these layers is used. be able to. The light scattering layer 109 may be a light control film (trade name: Lumisty) manufactured by Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd., which is formed by periodically forming materials having different refractive indexes in order to provide directivity. These may be used by laminating a plurality of layers.
[0031]
In the present embodiment, the description has been given of the single-polarization type reflection type liquid crystal device. However, the guest-host liquid crystal added with the polymer scattering type liquid crystal or the dichroic dye which does not require the polarizing plate in the liquid crystal layer. May be used. At this time, the polarizing plate and the retardation plate used in this embodiment are not necessary.
[0032]
According to the configuration of the present embodiment as described above, it is possible to realize a reflective liquid crystal device that is bright with a wide viewing angle and has no blurring of display or color mixing.
[0033]
In this embodiment, the reflective layer also serves as the pixel electrode. However, after forming a protective film or an insulating film on the reflective layer, a transparent electrode such as ITO may be formed to form the pixel electrode.
[0034]
(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 6 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing the structure of an embodiment of a liquid crystal device according to the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing the structure of an embodiment of a conventional liquid crystal device. This embodiment basically relates to a simple matrix type liquid crystal display device, but can be applied to an active matrix type device, other segment type devices, and other liquid crystal devices with the same configuration. .
[0035]
First, a conventional liquid crystal device will be described with reference to FIG. In this embodiment, a liquid crystal cell in which a liquid crystal layer 705 is sealed with a frame-shaped sealing material 704 is formed between two substrates 701 and 702. The liquid crystal layer 705 is made of nematic liquid crystal having a predetermined twist angle. A color filter 710 is formed on the inner surface of the upper transparent substrate 701, and three color layers of R (red), G (green), and B (blue) are arranged in a predetermined pattern on the color filter. Yes. A transparent protective film 711 is coated on the surface of the color filter, and a plurality of striped transparent electrodes 712 are formed of ITO or the like on the surface of the protective film. An alignment film is formed on the surface of the transparent electrode 712 and is rubbed in a predetermined direction. Further, a polarizing plate 706, a retardation plate 707, and a light scattering layer 709 are disposed on the outer surface of the upper transparent substrate 701. On the other hand, on the inner surface of the lower substrate 702, a plurality of stripe-shaped reflective electrodes 703 formed for each colored layer of the color filter are arranged so as to intersect the transparent electrode 712. In the case of an active matrix type device including an MIM element and a TFT element, each reflective electrode 703 is formed in a rectangular shape and connected to a wiring via the active element. The reflective electrode 703 is formed of Cr, Al, Ag, or the like, and its surface is a reflective surface that reflects light incident from the transparent substrate 701 side. An alignment film similar to the above is formed on the surface of the reflective electrode 703.
[0036]
A conventional reflective liquid crystal display will be described. External light passes through the polarizing plate 706 and the phase difference plate 707 in FIG. 7 in a predetermined polarization state, is scattered forward while maintaining the polarization state by the light scattering layer 709, passes through the color filter 710, and enters the liquid crystal layer 705. Let After passing through the liquid crystal layer 705, the light is reflected by the reflective electrode 703 in the mirror state, forward scattered again by the light scattering layer 709, and emitted from the polarizing plate 706 to the outside of the liquid crystal cell. At this time, the polarization state of the incident light changes depending on the voltage applied to the liquid crystal layer 705, and the bright state and the dark state, and the brightness between them are controlled. The light scattering layer 709 has an effect of making the specular feeling and metallic feeling of the reflective electrode 703 cloudy and recognizing a bright display even in a direction other than the regular reflection direction of external light. At this time, since the light scattering layer scatters external light both at the time of incidence and at the time of emission, blurring of display occurs.
[0037]
Next, the liquid crystal device of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In this embodiment, a liquid crystal cell in which a liquid crystal layer 605 is sealed with a frame-shaped sealing material 604 is formed between two substrates 601 and 602. The liquid crystal layer 605 is composed of nematic liquid crystal having a predetermined twist angle. A color filter 610 is formed on the inner surface of the upper transparent substrate 601, and three color layers of R (red), G (green), and B (blue) are arranged in a predetermined pattern on the color filter. Yes. A transparent protective film 611 is coated on the surface of the color filter, and a plurality of striped transparent electrodes 612 are formed of ITO or the like on the surface of the protective film. An alignment film is formed on the surface of the transparent electrode 612 and is rubbed in a predetermined direction. Further, a polarizing plate 606, a retardation plate 607, and a light scattering layer 609 are disposed on the outer surface of the upper transparent substrate 601. On the other hand, on the inner surface of the lower substrate 602, a plurality of stripe-shaped reflective electrodes 603 formed for each colored layer of the color filter are arranged so as to intersect the transparent electrode 612. In the case of an active matrix type device including an MIM element and a TFT element, each reflective electrode 603 is formed in a rectangular shape and connected to a wiring through the active element. The reflective electrode 603 is formed of Cr, Al, Ag, or the like, and its surface is a reflective surface that reflects light incident from the transparent substrate 601 side. An alignment film similar to the above is formed on the surface of the reflective electrode 603.
[0038]
The reflective liquid crystal display of the present invention will be described. External light passes through the polarizing plate 606 and the phase difference plate 607 in FIG. 6 in a predetermined polarization state, is scattered forward by the light scattering layer 609 while maintaining the polarization state, passes through the color filter 610, and enters the liquid crystal layer 605. Let After passing through the liquid crystal layer 605, it is reflected by the reflective electrode 603 in the mirror state, and is emitted from the polarizing plate 606 to the outside of the liquid crystal cell as it is without being forward scattered again by the light scattering layer 609. At this time, the polarization state of the incident light is changed by the voltage applied to the liquid crystal layer 605, and the bright state and the dark state, and the intermediate brightness are controlled. The light scattering layer 609 has an effect of making the specular feeling and metal feeling of the reflective electrode 603 cloudy by forward scattering at the time of incidence, and recognizing bright display even in a direction other than the regular reflection direction of external light. At this time, since the light scattering layer scatters external light only at the time of incidence, display blur does not occur. The liquid crystal device of the present invention strongly scatters external light incident on the liquid crystal device from an oblique direction, and does not scatter the reflected light in the normal direction of the liquid crystal device. Therefore, the liquid crystal device is bright with a wide viewing angle and display blur. A reflective liquid crystal device without blur or color mixture can be realized.
[0039]
As the light scattering layer 609, a hologram called a transmission type described in registered patent No. 2854986, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-222512, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-138396, etc., or a laminate of these layers is used. be able to. The light scattering layer 109 may be a light control film (trade name: Lumisty) manufactured by Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd., which is formed by periodically forming materials having different refractive indexes in order to provide directivity. These may be used by laminating a plurality of layers.
[0040]
In the present embodiment, the description has been given of the single-polarization type reflection type liquid crystal device. However, the guest-host liquid crystal added with the polymer scattering type liquid crystal or the dichroic dye which does not require the polarizing plate in the liquid crystal layer. May be used. At this time, the polarizing plate and the retardation plate used in this embodiment are not necessary.
[0041]
In this embodiment, the reflective layer also serves as the pixel electrode. However, after forming a protective film or an insulating film on the reflective layer, a transparent electrode such as ITO may be formed to form the pixel electrode.
[0042]
(Third embodiment)
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the scattering characteristics of the light scattering layer used in the liquid crystal device according to the present invention. FIG. 3A is a diagram for explaining the angle of incident light with respect to the light scattering layer 301. An angle from the normal direction 302 of the light scattering layer 301 is defined as φ. FIG. 3B shows the scattering characteristics of the light scattering layer. The horizontal axis 304 is the scattering characteristic when φ is changed in the horizontal direction, and the vertical axis 303 is the scattering characteristic when φ is changed in the vertical direction. A point (0 degree) where the horizontal axis 304 and the vertical axis 303 intersect represents the normal characteristic of the light scattering layer. The light scattering layer of this example shows weak scattering (haze: about 20% or less) when φ is in the range of ± 15 degrees, and shows strong scattering 305 when φ is in the range of 15 degrees to 70 degrees. As is apparent from the hatched portion 305 in (b), the portion showing strong scattering characteristics looks like a donut shape. By arranging the light scattering layer having such characteristics on the front surface of the reflective liquid crystal device, external light incident from the wide-angle side (large φ) is scattered at the time of incidence, and reflected light from the reflective liquid crystal device is Since almost no scattering occurs, it is possible to realize a reflective liquid crystal device free from blurring of display. External light incident from the wide-angle side includes sunlight incident from a window, reflected light from a wall, reflected light from clothes worn by an observer, and the like. By using such light effectively, a bright display could be realized. FIG. 3C is a view of the scattering characteristic of FIG. 3B as seen from a cross section perpendicular to the paper surface including 0 degrees of origin. It can be seen that the scattering characteristics 306 differ depending on the angle of incident light on the light scattering layer. In the present embodiment, the angle | φMAX | indicating the maximum scattering intensity is 50 degrees, and the angle | φMIN | indicating the minimum scattering intensity is 5 degrees.
[0043]
(Fourth embodiment)
Three examples of the electronic apparatus of the present invention are shown. Since the liquid crystal device of the present invention is a reflection type, the liquid crystal device is suitable for portable devices that are used in various environments and require low power consumption. For example, FIG. 5A is a mobile phone, FIG. 5B is a wristwatch, and FIG. 5C is a mobile information device. Since the liquid crystal device of the present invention has no display blur or the like and has high display quality, it is optimal when high-definition display is required. In recent years, due to the increase in the amount of information and the development of information infrastructure, many electronic devices that are frequently carried are manufactured and sold. The liquid crystal device of the present invention is most suitable for a display portion of such an electronic device, and particularly, when color display is necessary, it is very bright, has a wide viewing angle, and enables display with good color development. For this reason, even when a touch panel or a front light (front illumination device of a reflective liquid crystal device) is placed between the liquid crystal device and an observer (user), the display image quality of the liquid crystal device is high, which is very The display was easy to see.
[0044]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to realize a reflective liquid crystal device that is bright with a wide viewing angle and has no blurring of display or color mixing.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing a schematic structure of a first embodiment of a liquid crystal device according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing characteristics of a light scattering layer measured by the measurement system of FIG.
FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining scattering characteristics of a light scattering layer.
FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a measurement system for measuring light diffusibility of a light scattering layer.
FIG. 5 is a schematic view of an electronic apparatus equipped with a liquid crystal device according to the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing a schematic structure of a liquid crystal device according to a second embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 7 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing a schematic structure of an embodiment of a conventional liquid crystal device.
[Explanation of symbols]
101, 102, 601, 602, 701, 702 Transparent substrate 103, 603, 703 Reflective electrode 104, 604, 704 Sealing material 105, 605, 705 Liquid crystal layer 106, 606, 706 Polarizing plate 107, 108, 607, 707 Phase difference Plate 109, 609, 709 Light scattering layer 110, 610, 710 Color filter 111, 611, 711 Protective film 112, 612, 712 Transparent electrode 113 Normal direction of liquid crystal device 201 Characteristic 202 of transparent acrylic plate without light diffusibility Strong Characteristics of light scattering layer with light diffusivity 203 Characteristics of light scattering layer without strong light scattering in the range of about −10 degrees to +10 degrees 204 Strong light scattering characteristics in the range of about −30 degrees to +30 degrees Characteristics of non-light scattering layer 301 Light scattering layer 302 Normal direction 303 of light scattering layer Axis 30 indicating φ in the vertical direction Scattering characteristics 401 light source 402 rotating shaft 403 light-scattering layer 404 the light receiving unit 608 and 708 the viewer's left and right directions region 306 light scattering layer showing the axial 305 strong scattering indicating the φ of

Claims (5)

A liquid crystal layer is sandwiched between the first substrate and the second substrate, a light scattering layer is disposed on a side different from the liquid crystal layer of the first substrate, and reflects external light incident through the light scattering layer. In a liquid crystal device in which a reflective layer that is emitted through the light scattering layer is formed on the liquid crystal layer side of the second substrate,
The light scattering layer generally exhibits weak scattering with respect to light incident from the normal direction of the liquid crystal device, and with respect to light incident from an angle inclined from the normal direction to the vertical and horizontal directions of the liquid crystal device. Generally shows strong scattering,
A first axis in which the tilt angle of the incident light from the normal direction is φ, φ in the normal direction is 0 °, and φ is changed in a range of ± 90 ° in the vertical direction of the liquid crystal device; The plane of the scattering characteristic of the light scattering layer defined on the basis of the second axis that intersects the first axis at the point of 0 ° and changes φ in the range of ± 90 ° in the left-right direction of the liquid crystal device. In the liquid crystal device, the light scattering layer has a characteristic in which the scattering characteristic portion exhibiting strong scattering surrounds the scattering characteristic portion exhibiting weak scattering in a donut shape.   When the inclination angle from the normal direction is φ, the angle at which the scattering is the weakest is φMIN, and the angle at which the scattering is the strongest is φMAX, 0 degree ≦ | φMIN | ≦ 10 degrees and 20 degrees ≦ | φMAX | ≦ 60 degrees The liquid crystal device according to claim 1, wherein:   The liquid crystal device according to claim 1, wherein a polarizing plate is disposed so as to sandwich the light scattering layer with the first substrate.   The liquid crystal device according to claim 3, wherein at least one retardation plate is disposed between the first substrate and the polarizing plate.   An electronic device equipped with the liquid crystal device according to claim 1.

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