VERTICALLY ALIGNED LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY DEVICE

Abstract

A liquid crystal display device includes a pair of substrates, an opposing electrode formed by a conductive film provided on one of inner surfaces of the pair of substrates, a plurality of pixel electrodes formed by conductive films provided on the other one of the inner surfaces of the pair of substrates, a plurality of pixels being defined by those areas of the plurality of pixel electrodes which face the opposing electrode, vertical alignment films covering the inner surfaces of the pair of substrates, a liquid crystal layer having a negative dielectric anisotropy sealed between the pair of substrates, and cutaway portions each provided at least one of the pixel electrode and the opposing electrode and obtained by cutting away a part of the associated conductive film to define an alignment center of liquid crystal molecules in each pixel.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These objects and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading of the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a part of one of substrates of a liquid crystal display device according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the cross section of the liquid crystal display device as shown in FIG. 1 along line II-II thereof;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the cross section of the liquid crystal display device as shown in FIG. 1 along line III-III thereof;

FIG. 4 is a plan view exemplarily showing the tilted states of the liquid crystal molecules of one pixel of the liquid crystal display device;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view exemplarily showing the tilted states of the liquid crystal molecules of one pixel of the liquid crystal display device;

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a part of one of substrates of a liquid crystal display device according to a second embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7 is a plan view exemplarily showing the tilted states of the liquid crystal molecules of one pixel of the liquid crystal display device according to the second embodiment; and

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a part of one of substrates of a liquid crystal display device according to a third embodiment of the invention.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal display device comprising: a pair of substrates facing each other with a predetermined gap provided therebetween;an opposing electrode formed by a conductive film on one of opposing inner surfaces of the pair of substrates;a plurality of pixel electrodes formed by conductive films arrayed in a matrix form on an other one of the opposing inner surfaces of the pair of substrates, a plurality of pixels being defined by those areas of the plurality of pixel electrodes which face the opposing electrode;vertical alignment films respectively provided on the inner surfaces of the pair of substrates in such a way as to respectively cover the opposing electrode and the pixel electrodes;a liquid crystal layer having a negative dielectric anisotropy sealed between the pair of substrates; andcutaway portions each provided, for each of the pixels, at least one of the pixel electrode and the opposing electrode and obtained by cutting away a part of the associated conductive film to define an alignment center of liquid crystal molecules in the each pixel.

2. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the cutaway portions are formed at the opposing electrode.

3. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the cutaway portions are formed in a circular shape.

4. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 3, wherein the cutaway portions are formed in a circular shape having a diameter of 8 μm or greater.

5. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 3, wherein the cutaway portions are formed in a circular shape having a diameter of 8 μm or greater and 12 μm or less.

6. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 3, wherein the cutaway portions are formed in a circular shape having a diameter of substantially 10 μm or greater.

7. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 4, wherein each of the pixel electrodes is formed in a rectangular shape whose one side has a length of 50 μm or less, and the liquid crystal layer has a thickness of 3.5 to 4.5 μm.

8. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of pixel electrodes are formed by a conductive film having substantially a rectangular shape with short sides and long sides, and defined into a plurality of electrode portions having substantially a square shape by notched portions formed in parallel to the short sides in a lengthwise direction of the long sides, and each of the cutaway portions is provided at least one of the electrode portions of each of the pixel electrodes and the opposing electrode in association with substantially center portions of a plurality of areas corresponding to the electrode portions of each of the pixel electrodes.

9. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein each of the pixel electrodes is formed by a conductive film having a rectangular shape with short sides and long sides, and slit-shaped cutaway portions which are substantially in parallel to a lengthwise direction of the pixels and have lengths of substantially same distances from both lengthwise edges of the pixels in an inner direction thereof are provided at least one of the pixel electrodes and the opposing electrode in association with widthwise center portions parallel to the short sides of the rectangular pixels corresponding in shape to the pixel electrodes.

10. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the pixel electrodes are formed in substantially a square shape, and the cutaway portions are formed substantially in centers of the respective pixels having substantially a square shape formed by the square pixel electrodes.

11. A liquid crystal display device comprising: a pair of substrates facing each other with a predetermined gap provided therebetween;an opposing electrode formed by a conductive film on one of opposing inner surfaces of the pair of substrates;a plurality of pixel electrodes formed by conductive films arrayed in a matrix form on an other one of the opposing inner surfaces of the pair of substrates, and having substantially a rectangular shape with short sides and long sides, and defined into a plurality of electrode portions having substantially a square shape by notched portions formed in parallel to the short sides in a lengthwise direction of the long sides, a plurality of pixels being defined by those areas of the plurality of pixel electrodes which face the opposing electrode;vertical alignment films respectively provided on the inner surfaces of the pair of substrates in such a way as to respectively cover the opposing electrode and the pixel electrodes;a liquid crystal layer having a negative dielectric anisotropy sealed between the pair of substrates; andcutaway portions each provided, for each of the pixels, at the opposing electrode at positions corresponding to substantially center portions of a plurality of areas corresponding to the electrode portions of each of the pixel electrodes, and obtained by cutting away a part of the associated conductive film to define an alignment center of liquid crystal molecules in the each pixel.

12. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 11, wherein the cutaway portions are formed in a circular shape having a diameter of 8 μm or greater and 12 μm or less.

13. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 11, wherein the cutaway portions are formed in a circular shape having a diameter of substantially 10 μm or greater.

14. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 12, wherein lengths of short sides of the rectangular shape of the pixel electrode are set equal to or less than 50 μm, and each of the electrode portions pixel electrodes has substantially a square shape having one side of 50 μm.

15. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 12, wherein the liquid crystal layer has a thickness of 3.5 to 4.5 μm.

16. A liquid crystal display device comprising: a pair of substrates facing each other with a predetermined gap provided therebetween;an opposing electrode formed by a conductive film on one of opposing inner surfaces of the pair of substrates;a plurality of pixel electrodes formed by conductive films arrayed in a matrix form on an other one of the opposing inner surfaces of the pair of substrates, and having substantially a rectangular shape with short sides and long sides, a plurality of pixels being defined by those areas of the plurality of pixel electrodes which face the opposing electrode;vertical alignment films respectively provided on the inner surfaces of the pair of substrates in such a way as to respectively cover the opposing electrode and the pixel electrodes;a liquid crystal layer having a negative dielectric anisotropy sealed between the pair of substrates; andcutaway portions each formed, for each of the pixels of the opposing electrode, into a rectangular shape whose short sides have substantially equal distances to respective edges of the rectangular pixel corresponding in shape to the pixel electrode.

17. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 16, wherein the cutaway portions are formed in a slit shape having a width of 8 μm or greater in a short-side direction.

18. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 16, wherein each of the cutaway portions is formed in such a shape that a distance in a short-side direction between one edge of a pixel defined by an area at which the pixel electrode faces the opposing electrode and one side of the cutaway portion which corresponds to the edge is equal to or less than 15 μm.

19. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 18, wherein lengths of short sides of the rectangular shape of the pixel electrode are set equal to or less than 50 μm.

20. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 18, wherein the liquid crystal layer has a thickness of 3.5 to 4.5 μm.