Patent ID: 9081240
Filing Date: 2015-07-14
Classification: G02F

Abstract:
1. A liquid crystal display device having a plurality of pixels which are in a matrix arrangement, comprising: a first substrate which includes a pixel electrode which is provided in each of the plurality of pixels; a second substrate which opposes the first substrate; and a vertical alignment liquid crystal layer which is provided between the first substrate and the second substrate, wherein light that is incident on the liquid crystal layer is circularly-polarized light, and the liquid crystal layer modulates the circularly-polarized light, thereby realizing display, the pixel electrode includes at least one cruciform trunk portion, a plurality of branch portions extending from the at least one cruciform trunk portion in a direction of about 45°, and a plurality of slits provided between the plurality of branch portions, and the second substrate includes a plurality of counter electrodes which are electrically independent of each other in each of the plurality of pixels, so that in each pixel the second substrate comprises a plurality of counter electrodes corresponding to the pixel electrode in the corresponding pixel; wherein when a voltage is applied across the liquid crystal layer, four types of liquid crystal domains are formed in the liquid crystal layer in each of the plurality of pixels, azimuths of four directors that are representative of orientations of liquid crystal molecules that are included in respective ones of the four types of liquid crystal domains are different from one another, each of the azimuths of the four directors is generally parallel to any of the plurality of branch portions, the at least one cruciform trunk portion includes a plurality of cruciform trunk portions, the pixel electrode includes a plurality of sub-pixel electrodes each of which includes any one of the plurality of cruciform trunk portions, when a voltage is applied across the liquid crystal layer, the four types of liquid crystal domains are formed in each of a plurality of sub-pixels which are defined by the plurality of sub-pixel electrodes, the plurality of sub-pixel electrodes are provided so as to correspond to the plurality of counter electrodes on a one-to-one basis, and a boundary of adjacent sub-pixel electrodes overlaps a boundary of adjacent counter electrodes.