Liquid crystal device and liquid crystal apparatus

Details Liquid crystal device and liquid crystal apparatus Liquid crystal device and liquid crystal apparatus

1996-10-18

2001-01-23

Kelly, C. H. (Department: 1756)

Stock material or miscellaneous articles

Liquid crystal optical display having layer of specified...

C252S299010, C252S299600, C349S123000, C349S182000, C428S001260

Reexamination Certificate

active

06177152

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION AND RELATED ART
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal device including a liquid crystal composition used as a light-valve for flat-panel displays, projection displays, printers, etc. The present invention also relates to a liquid crystal apparatus using the liquid crystal device.
There has been known a cathode ray tube (CRT) as a display device. The CRT has widely been used as a display terminal for outputting motion pictures of a television receiver or a video tape recording (VTR) apparatus or used as a monitor for a personal computer. However, the CRT encounters problems when outputs still images, in view of its characteristics, such that recognizability is liable to be lowered due to flickering and scanning fringes caused by an insufficient resolution and that degradation or deterioration of a fluorescent substance due to burning is caused to occur in some cases. In recent years, it has been found that an electromagnetic wave generated by the CRT adversely affects human body. As a result, the CRT can break health of video display terminal (VDT) operators in some cases. In addition, the CRT has a structure including a large volume behind a picture area (display portion), whereby space-saving utilization of an office or a house in which the CRT is used is hindered and there is a possibility that the CRT fails to sufficiently play a part in displays in an advanced information-oriented society.
Liquid crystal devices have been used as a display device having solved the above-mentioned problems of the CRT. For instance, there have been known liquid crystal devices using use TN (twisted nematic) type liquid crystals, as shown in “Voltage-Dependent Optical Activity of a Twisted Nematic Liquid Crystal” by M. Schadt and W. Helfrich “Applied Physics Letters” Vol. 18, No. 4 (Feb. 15, 1971) pp. 127-128.
One of the above-mentioned TN-type liquid crystal devices is a simple matrix-type liquid crystal device having the advantage of inexpensive production costs. When the liquid crystal device is driven by using an electrode matrix structure with an improved pixel density in accordance with a multiplex driving scheme, the liquid crystal device is liable to encounter a problem of occurrence of crosstalk, so that the number of pixels is restricted. Further, the uses of the device as a display device is also limited since the response speed is too slow, i.e., on the order of at least several ten milli-seconds.
In recent years, there have been proposed liquid crystal devices using a thin film transistor (TFT). These liquid crystal devices can control a display state pixel by pixel since each pixel is provided with a transistor, whereby the devices solve problems of crosstalk and response speed. However, as these devices have a larger picture area, it is industrially more difficult to prepare a liquid crystal device with no defective pixels. Even if it is possible to prepare such a liquid crystal device, the device is more expensive.
To overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks of such conventional liquid crystal devices, the use of liquid crystal devices using a liquid crystal material having bistability has been proposed by Clark and Lagerwall (e.g. Japanese Laid-Open Patent Appln. (JP-A) No. 56-107216; U.S. Pat. No. 4,367,924, etc.). In this instance, as the liquid crystal material having bistability, a ferroelectric liquid crystal having chiral smectic C-phase (SmC*) or H-phase (SmH*) is generally used. The ferroelectric liquid crystal can effect inversion switching due to its spontaneous polarization, thus showing a very high response speed. Further, the ferroelectric liquid crystal shows at least two stable states including bistable states providing a memory characteristic and is excellent in view angle characteristics, so that a liquid crystal device using a ferroelectric liquid crystal is considered suitable for a display device or light-valve having properties including high-speed responsiveness, high resolution and a large picture area. In recent years, there has been proposed an anti-ferroelectric chiral smectic liquid crystal device assuming three stable states, as described in “Japanese Journal of Applied Physics” vol. 27, p. L729 (1988) by Chanani and Takezoe et al.
Such a liquid crystal device using a chiral smectic liquid crystal, however, encounters a problem such that a contrast ratio is lowered by occurrence of zig-zag alignment defects in some cases, as described in “Structures and Properties of Ferroelectric Liquid Crystals” (1990) by Atsuo Fukuda and Hideo Takezoe issued by Corona Publishing Co. Ltd. (Tokyo Japan). The reason why the zigzag defect occurs may be attributable to the fact that a layer of a chiral smectic liquid crystal disposed between a pair of substrates constituting a cell structure includes two kinds of chevron layer structures.
On the other hand there has been the recent trend in layer structure of a (chiral smectic) liquid crystal wherein a high contrast ratio is intended to be realized by suppressing a chevron layer structure resulting in a low contrast ratio and providing the liquid crystal with a bookshelf layer structure (hereinafter referred to as “bookshelf structure”) in which boundaries of each liquid crystal layer are disposed in parallel with each other or with a structure closer to the bookshelf structure (e.g., Atsuo Fukuda (Editor)) “Future Liquid Crystal Display and Its Materials” (1992), issued by K. K. CMC (Tokyo Japan). One of methods for realizing a bookshelf structure is a method of using a naphthalene-based liquid crystal material having a particular structure. In this method, however, the resultant liquid crystal device has a tilt angle of about 10 degrees, which is considerably smaller than an ideal tilt angle of 22.5 degrees providing a maximum transmittance, thus resulting in a low transmittance or a low contrast. In addition, such a liquid crystal material fails to exhibit a bookshelf structure reversibly with respect to temperature in many cases. Another method for giving a bookshelf structure may include one inducing a bookshelf structure by externally applying an electric field to a liquid crystal device. Such a method, however, involves a problem of unstability against external stimuli such as temperature. In addition, various other problems to be solved are presumably present in order to put a liquid crystal material exhibiting a bookshelf structure into practical use since such a material has quite recently been discovered or proposed.
Further, in quite recent years, there have been proposed a mesomorphic (liquid crystal) compound having a perfluoroether terminal portion (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,082,587 and 5,262,082 and International Publication No. WO93/22396) and a liquid crystal composition (Marc D. Radcliffe et al: The 4th International Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal Conference, P-46 (1993)) as materials exhibiting a bookshelf structure or a structure closer thereto. By using these liquid crystal materials, it is possible to provide a bookshelf structure or a structure showing a small layer inclination angle closer to the bookshelf structure without using external fields such as an external electric field. Accordingly, these liquid crystal materials are suitable for a liquid crystal device and display apparatus providing high speed responsiveness, high definition and large picture area.
However, these liquid crystal materials (compounds and compositions) still leave room for improvement in several characteristics, such as response speed, alignment characteristic, contrast and driving stability, singly or in combination thereof for the purpose of providing a high performance liquid crystal device or apparatus.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid crystal device using a chiral smectic liquid crystal composition showing an alignment state exhibiting a bookshelf structure or a structure, having a small layer inclination angle, closer to the bookshelf structure with respect to a smectic layer structure, in order to realize a large-area liquid crystal devi

Affiliated with

Also associated with

Rating

Liquid crystal device and liquid crystal apparatus does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Liquid crystal device and liquid crystal apparatus, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Liquid crystal device and liquid crystal apparatus will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2450694