Liquid crystal display device, methods for manufacturing the same, and electronic apparatus

Abstract

A liquid crystal display device whose sub-pixel region has a reflective display region that displays an image in a reflective mode and a transmissive display region that displays an image in a transmissive mode includes a first substrate, a second substrate opposing the first substrate; and a liquid crystal layer between the first substrate and the second substrate. The liquid crystal layer has a smaller thickness in the reflective display region than in the transmissive display region. One of the first substrate and the second substrate includes a reflection layer in the reflective display region, and the other substrate includes on the liquid crystal layer side a functional resin layer having a first functional resin sub layer in the reflective display region and a second functional resin sub layer in the transmissive display region. The first functional resin sub layer and the second functional resin sub layer serve as retardation layers with different optical axes from each other.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like numbers reference like elements.

FIG. 1 is a schematic circuit diagram of a liquid crystal display device according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2A is a plan view of a sub-pixel region of the liquid crystal display device, and FIG. 2B is a representation of optical axes in the sub-pixel region shown in FIG. 2A.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line A-A′ in FIG. 2A.

FIG. 4A is a schematic sectional view of a TFT array substrate taken along line B-B′ in FIG. 2A, and FIG. 4B is a representation of an effect of the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view of a liquid crystal display device according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an electronic apparatus.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal display device whose sub-pixel region has a reflective display region that displays an image in a reflective mode and a transmissive display region that displays an image in a transmissive mode, the liquid crystal display device comprising: a first substrate;a second substrate opposing the first substrate; anda liquid crystal layer between the first substrate and the second substrate, the liquid crystal layer having a smaller thickness in the reflective display region than in the transmissive display region,wherein one of the first substrate and the second substrate includes a reflection layer in the reflective display region; the other substrate includes on the liquid crystal layer side a functional resin layer having a first functional resin sub layer in the reflective display region and a second functional resin sub layer in the transmissive display region; and the first functional resin sub layer and the second functional resin sub layer serve as retardation layers with different optical axes from each other.

2. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the substrate including the functional resin layer has a polarizer opposite the liquid crystal layer, and the optical axis of the second functional resin sub layer extends in a direction substantially parallel or substantially perpendicular to the transmission axis of the polarizer.

3. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the first functional resin sub layer and the second functional resin sub layer are formed by polymerizing a polymerizable liquid crystal material in liquid crystal phases oriented in different directions from each other.

4. A liquid crystal display device whose sub-pixel region has a reflective display region that displays an image in a reflective mode and a transmissive display region that displays an image in a transmissive mode, the liquid crystal display device comprising: a first substrate;a second substrate opposing the first substrate; anda liquid crystal layer between the first substrate and the second substrate, the liquid crystal layer having a smaller thickness in the reflective display region than in the transmissive display region,wherein one of the first substrate and the second substrate includes a reflection layer in the reflective display region, and the other substrate includes on the liquid crystal layer side a functional resin layer having a first functional resin sub layer in the reflective display region and a second functional resin sub layer in the transmissive display region, and wherein the second functional resin sub layer is isotropic with no phase difference and the first functional resin sub layer serves as a retardation layer with a phase difference.

5. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 4, wherein the first functional resin sub layer is formed by polymerizing a polymerizable liquid crystal material in a liquid crystal phase, and the second functional resin sub layer is formed by polymerizing the polymerizable liquid crystal material in an isotropic phase.

6. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the first substrate includes a first electrode and a second electrode at the liquid crystal layer side between which an electric field is generated to drive the liquid crystal layer, and the second substrate has the functional resin layer.

7. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal layer in the reflective display region gives a phase difference of about λ/4 to incident light in an inactive state.

8. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 7, wherein the functional resin layer in the reflective display region gives a phase difference of about λ/2 to incident light.

9. A method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device whose sub-pixel region has a reflective display region that displays an image in a reflective mode and a transmissive display region that displays an image in a transmissive mode, the liquid crystal display device including a liquid crystal layer between a first substrate and a second substrate one of which includes a reflection layer in the reflective display region, the method comprising: forming a functional resin layer on the liquid crystal layer side of the substrate not including the reflection layer across both the transmissive display region and the reflective display region; andforming a liquid crystal layer thickness-adjusting layer in at least one of the first substrate and the second substrate so that the thickness of the liquid crystal layer in the reflective display region is set smaller than the thickness of the liquid crystal layer in the transmissive display region,wherein the formation of the functional resin layer includes: forming an alignment layer with the same orientation in the transmissive display region and the reflective display region; applying a polymerizable liquid crystal material for forming the functional resin layer onto the alignment layer in the transmissive display region and the reflective display region; polymerizing the polymerizable liquid crystal material in the reflective display region in a liquid crystal phase; and polymerizing the polymerizable liquid crystal material in the transmissive display region in an isotropic phase.

10. An electronic apparatus comprising the liquid crystal display device as set forth in claim 1.

11. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 4, wherein the first substrate includes a first electrode and a second electrode at the liquid crystal layer side between which an electric field is generated to drive the liquid crystal layer, and the second substrate has the functional resin layer.

12. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 4, wherein the liquid crystal layer in the reflective display region gives a phase difference of about λ/4 to incident light in an inactive state.

13. An electronic apparatus comprising the liquid crystal display device as set forth in claim 4.