Patent ID: 6614491
Filing Date: 2003-09-02
Classification: G02F

Abstract:
A liquid crystal display comprising:an array substrate including a plurality of scanning lines and a plurality of signal lines, said scanning lines and said signal lines being formed on a first substrate in the form of a matrix, a plurality of switching elements which are formed at points of intersection between said scanning lines and said signal lines, one end of each of said switching elements being connected to a corresponding one of said signal lines, and each of said switching elements carrying out a switching action in response to a signal of a corresponding one of said scanning lines, a plurality of pixel electrodes, each of which is connected to the other end of a corresponding one of said switching elements, and a first alignment layer which is formed on said first substrate so as to cover said pixel electrodes; a counter substrate including a counter electrode which is formed on a second substrate, and a second alignment layer which is formed on said second substrate so as to cover said counter electrode; and a light control layer sandwiched between said array substrate and said counter substrate, and including a liquid crystal material having a spontaneous polarization and having a nematic phase or an isotropic phase on a high-temperature side of a chiral smectic C phase, an optical axis of liquid crystal molecules in said light control layer substantially staying when no electric field or a first electric field of a first polarity are applied to said liquid crystal material, and said optical axis of said liquid crystal molecules responding in accordance with a magnitude of a second electric field of a second polarity different from said first polarity when said second electric field is applied to said liquid crystal material, wherein an electric field between said scanning lines and said counter electrode has said first polarity when said switching elements turn on.