Liquid crystal cells – elements and systems – Particular structure – Having significant detail of cell structure only
Patent
1998-03-10
2000-08-15
Malinowski, Walter
Liquid crystal cells, elements and systems
Particular structure
Having significant detail of cell structure only
349106, G02F 11335
Patent
active
061044598
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid-crystal display device and a process for manufacturing the same, and more particularly, relates to a structure of a reflection-type color liquid-crystal display device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional liquid-crystal display devices can be classified into a transmission type or a reflection type. In the former type, a back light is disposed behind the unit, and light from the back light is made to pass through the liquid-crystal pixels, and therefore, the consumption of electric power is large, though bright displaying can be achieved. On the other hand, in the latter type, such a back light is unnecessary since displaying is achieved according to the reflection of light incident on the liquid-crystal pixels, and therefore, the consumption of electric power can be saved, though displaying is generally dark and the displayed information cannot be recognized in a place without external light.
Meanwhile, as a means for making a liquid-crystal display device to be of a color type, a color filter is generally disposed on the inner surface of one of two substrates sandwiching a liquid-crystal layer.
For achieving such a color filter, a plurality of filters which are formed by printing and shaping materials containing pigments and which have colors similar or close to the three primary colors are disposed for each pixel in accordance with a predetermined arrangement.
In the above-described conventional liquid-crystal display devices, however, the light intensity is lowered after light passes through the color filter. Accordingly, in the case of a reflection-type liquid-crystal display device, which exhibits dark displaying, the display brightness is further lowered, and in addition, since the color tone exhibited by the color filter varies depending on the quantity of incident light which varies in relation to the surrounding environment, a readily-recognizable display area, which can be achieved in the transmission type, can rarely be achieved.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems, and to provide a liquid-crystal display device and a process for manufacturing the same, wherein the unit achieves an inhibited reduction of the display brightness even when used for a color reflection-type liquid-crystal display device, and a restricted variation in the color tone which varies depending on the quantity of incident light.
In order to achieve the above object, according to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a display device characterized by: electrodes are arranged on one substrate among a pair of substrates sandwiching liquid crystals; reflective layer, each of the thin films having a predetermined thickness and/or a predetermined refractive index; and mutually-different interference colors which are substantially determined in accordance with the thicknesses and/or the refractive indexes of the several types of the light-transmissive thin films.
According to this aspect, light reflected by the reflective layer causes interference due to the light-transmissive thin films, and is colored into interference colors determined by the thicknesses and/or the refractive indexes of the light-transmissive thin films, thus being visibly recognized.
It is, therefore, unnecessary to provide conventional transmission-type color filters, and accordingly, the quantity of reflected light is not reduced and the color tone does not vary in relation to the quantity of incident light. Further, since a color display device can be achieved only by controlling the thicknesses or the refractive indexes of the light-transmissive thin films, the manufacture of the unit is easier than the conventional case in which color filters are formed.
Moreover, there is provided such a display device, wherein the reflective layers are conductors, and the light-transmissive thin films are anodic oxide films formed into predetermined thicknesses by an
REFERENCES:
patent: 4775549 (1988-10-01), Ota et al.
patent: 5684552 (1997-11-01), Miyamoto et al.
patent: 5719647 (1998-02-01), Fujikawa et al.
Gyoda Kozo
Oike Kazuo
Malinowski Walter
Seiko Epson Corporation
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